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How to Set Goals with Kaizen & Ikigai: Focus, Cure Procrastination, & Increase Personal Productivity.

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Discover the Japanese secret to unlocking your purpose, productivity, and passion in life!Are you struggling to find your "true calling," feeling adrift without a clear sense of direction?Does procrastination or a lack of motivation prevent you from accomplishing your goals?Has your growth been stunted by self-doubt or a fear of failure?

Indeed, failure is the unfortunate result of most human endeavors. Eighty percent of New Year's Resolutions fail by February. For many people, surrender feels like the easiest option...

But what if there was a solution to your goal-achievement problems?

What if I told you that the Japanese have found this solution?

In this book, we'll reveal three concepts from the

Ikigai - A strategy to discover one's purpose, meaning, and "true calling" in life.Hansei - The ancient art of honest self-reflection.Kaizen - An incrementalist approach to goal achievement developed by Japanese engineers and scientists.

When utilized individually, each methodology is a powerful tool. But when combined together they can improve your productivity by a factor of TEN!

Once you grasp the effectiveness of this system, you'll have trouble recalling how you ever managed to get anything done without it.

You will

What it takes to discover your own personal ikigai (your "true calling" in life), so that every step you take is in harmony with your deepest passions and values.The secret principle that makes the chore of "habit-forming" seem easy—hence enabling you to defeat the crippling forces of procrastination.How to focus (How to REALLY focus!) on your work goals. Enhancing your ability to tune out the many distractions that prevent us from getting stuff done.How to motivate yourself to complete an ambitious goal, even when every fiber of your being is begging you to quit.How to achieve the coveted "flow state" — the mental plateau of peak performance where time seems to disappear and creativity thrives.How to discover meaning and passion in the chore of living, turning everyday routines into opportunities for lifelong growth and success.And much, much more...

It doesn't matter if you're a student, a busy mom, or an entrepreneur. All of these techniques will apply! This methodology can be utilized

Enhancing your career aspirations,Getting better grades in school,Losing weight,Building muscle,Improving your relationships,Starting a new business,Or, for any endeavor that calls upon you to set and accomplish a new goal.

Sometimes, we all need a refreshing change of pace.

Sometimes we just need a nudge in the right direction—toward the true path of success.

231 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 3, 2019

407 people are currently reading
328 people want to read

About the author

Anthony Raymond

41 books5 followers

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5 stars
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4 stars
47 (24%)
3 stars
42 (21%)
2 stars
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2 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
Profile Image for Bob Wallner.
406 reviews38 followers
April 11, 2019
I'm always on the lookout for books that incorporate Kaizen into personal improvement and development. Being a big fan of Dr. Robert Maurer and Matthew E. May I have found that these small books can deliver a big impact on your life, so I was really excited about this book. Unfortunately, although the audiobook was okay, I did not find it at the same caliber as the above-mentioned authors.

The author provides many scenarios but doesn't provide actual examples of how people implemented various tactics. There are a lot of "you can" scenarios as opposed to "he/she did" examples. This made it difficult to connect with the situations.

The other thing I found a bit disenchanting is how some of the steps he mentions as "Kaizen" are not the smallest step one could take. For example "walking for a mile" is a pretty big step for someone leading a sedentary life. How about walking 10 yards or walking in place for one minute. Another example he discusses is not going out to eat if you are in that habit. How about starting with one less appetizer or one last bite.

Finally, I did not feel connected to this book and I think that's an important piece for a novice who's trying to implement Kaizen into their personal life. The book felt forced as opposed to a work of passion by the author. There was discussion on the connection between the four concepts that the author introduced and there was far too little time spent on hansei. As I have learned after many years of studying kaizen, hansei is the secret sauce to lasting improvement.
1 review
August 8, 2021
Real life example explained in details like why we could not follow our goals

Liked the correlation between the four concepts (lingchi,hansei,kaizen, ). Each explained with detailed example that most of us can co relate to our own life , for example instead of reading for an exam next day ,spending the night doing random things. Also beautifully explained how we know what need to be done to improve our work\situation instead of being an busy idiot doing things of less importance. I could relate the practice the lessons learned in real life.
Profile Image for Naomi Sirmans.
100 reviews11 followers
August 5, 2020
I really enjoyed this book - an excellent book to read after ‘Ikigai’. The core is simple but encouraging - basically instead of looking at the big goal (thus getting overwhelmed and putting it off), focus on making one tiny improvement every day. He touched on fitness, wealth, relationships. I just wish it was a little longer
87 reviews
December 12, 2021
Comparable to Atomic Habits but with an Eastern twist

I found most of the book very informative. It provided explanations and useful tools to put the concepts of - - - Lingchi
- Hansei
- Ikigai
- Kaizen

To work for you.
Around the 80% mark and for the next 10% of the book I felt the tonality and ideas of the book shift off and it felt like filler. However around the 90% mark he got back on track.
I was going to give it a 4 star review but the last 10% redeemed itself.
Worth getting.
1 review
January 25, 2022
I enjoyed this book. It was an excellent selection for me at this stage of my life.
I do tend to procrastinate at times but taking small steps usually works. I only knew
about Ikigai. But now I understand how it is connected to Lingchi, Hansei and Kaizen.
I like Lingchi. When I reflect on my own life, I see the application of Lingchi. This knowledge
can lead to actions, thus preventing 'death from a thousand cuts.'
Profile Image for Carlos Ramos.
52 reviews
October 14, 2023
Hidden gem

I have read dozens of productivity and self development books. They are all filled with unnecessary parts that make them too long and they are nothing more than glorified blog posts. This one is different, I found every part to be of relevance. The author mixes philosophy, practical advice and even engineering to create a well rounded action plan for whomever needs help setting goals and achieve them. Will read again.
3 reviews
November 15, 2020
The book is a must-read for those who truly want to know the secret behind accomplishing their goal.
Concepts like Lingchi, Kaizen and Ikigai explained with a lucid description with relatable examples, makes it interesting to read.

A highly recommended book for learning important life lessons.
Profile Image for Anne.
518 reviews1 follower
November 16, 2023
Absolutely loved this book! The author created the perfect blend of action items, examples, powerful quotes, illustrations and scannable content. But his writing style was also easy, soothing, even meditative. It was never a chore to read and every chapter had something genuinely meaningful to say. I cannot recommend this one enough for people looking to get unstuck and find ways forward.
1 review
May 13, 2024
A methods book, short and sweet

I like this book because the author lays out four key principles that anyone can adopt, and he does so in a humorous way. If you are interested in self improvement, but find the "classical" approaches either daunting or not giving you results, try this book.
10 reviews10 followers
February 17, 2020
A work of great utility

As far as I go, I find that this book is highly transforming for me. Even if I take very few ideas out of the work, I am benefited a great deal. I thank the author for his endeavor. I suggest that the book is apt for a repeated reading.
Profile Image for William.
27 reviews
May 12, 2020
Loved this!

Combining these four ideas into one easy to read book was awesome! I think my understanding of each principal has been increased by at least 10x. May purchase few my kids as a gift.
Profile Image for Kyle Marie.
207 reviews5 followers
January 4, 2022
While there were a couple chapters that I felt didn't apply to me (or weren't what I wanted out of the book), such as Kaizen and Exercise, I still felt they were well written and informative. The four aspects put together work really well, and I feel prepared to tackle my goals with them.
33 reviews1 follower
June 5, 2022
Refreshing book

It is amazing to read especially the first five
chapters.Other chapters are extension and utility of Kaizen principles.I loved this book.The author has encashed all the important principles in this little companion. Simply I love this book.
20 reviews
November 1, 2024
practical and Insightful

This book is a great way to see your pursuit of goal attainment from a practical standpoint. Every book I’ve read on setting goals never touched me the way this book did. It’s a guide to pursue your best self.
Profile Image for Peter Dimitrov.
1 review
January 22, 2020
The book is well-written and informative of key Chinese and Japanese methods for improving productivity.
4 reviews
July 14, 2021
Amazing book.

It was awesome book..lot more things learnt from the simple book..Very profound and must read for those who wants to upgrade in all areas of life
Profile Image for Wendy Sherrock.
143 reviews
July 1, 2023
This is a good book for somebody who is not familiar with these concepts. I teach these every day, but he did a great job of explaining it, so giving it four stars.
Profile Image for Annie.
1,026 reviews856 followers
January 20, 2024
It's a little of everything: goal setting, habits, kaizen, and ikigai. I think other books that focus on a single topic are more useful since they provide more stories, examples, and tips.
Profile Image for Hugo Mazzei.
3 reviews
November 30, 2024
An excellent book! Written in simple terms, it provides tremendous help in finding focus and direction in your life. The advice is straightforward yet profoundly useful. I highly recommend it as the perfect read for a relaxing weekend.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews

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