One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way

by Robert Maurer

What’s one thing I wish to contribute to the world with my book, poem, song, or painting? Whom could I ask for help or inspiration?

What type of work would excite and fulfill me?

repeat the question over the course of several ...

the brain will begin giving you answers.

Fear, as we’ve seen, is frequently the reason people don’t get what they want.

Fears tend to sort themselves into two major categories: the fear of not being worthy (I don’t deserve it) and the fear of losing control (What if I like him and he leaves me?).

I asked her to choose whether to live as her mother or her father, sharing that parent’s fate.

make this happen, I explained, we would have to take small steps toward helping Grace master her fears. Big steps would be too scary and could backfire.

Her fears of letting go and allowing herself to be vulnerable in her romantic life were so overwhelming that she couldn’t even imagine a happy day with a man who truly loved her.

spend two minutes a day asking herself: What would my ideal mate be like?

As the question took root in her imagination, however, she grew more confident and more able to produce honest answers.

What small, caring act would you like to receive from an ideal partner right now?

the power of daydreaming

start taking small steps that would increase her chances of meeting a man.

was just going to put herself “in harm’s way.”

If I were 100 percent certain that my prince was coming in a month,

what would I be doing differe...

making herself ready for her ideal man.

Assuming that your ideal man shares your interests, where would you like to meet him?

small questions allowed her to circumvent her fear and define what she wanted clearly enough that she could recognize happiness when it arrived.

leave answers to their small questions in my voice mail.

Negative Questions: A Toxic Mental Brew

Why does everyone else have an easier life than I do?

call my voice mail once a day and tell me one positive thought they’ve had about themselves, or one positive act they’ve engaged in, no matter how small.

Within a month, most clients report that the problems that drove them to counseling seem less overwhelming.

start to view therapy in a more positive light, as a journey requiring courage and stamina, not a procedure needed because the...

What is one thing I like about myself today? Ask this question daily, writing your answer down in a journal or on a sheet of paper

Is there one small improvement that the staff/customers/clients would like me to make?

What kind of job could bring me pride and pleasure?

finding friends who enjoy their jobs and asking: What is one aspect of your job that makes you happy?

you are programming your brain for creativity, so choose a question and ask it repeatedly, over the course of several days or weeks.

Here are just a few ideas to get you started. Feel free to come up with your own.

If you are unhappy but aren’t sure why, try asking yourself this: If I were guaranteed not to fail, what would I be doing differently?

If you are trying to reach a specific goal, ask yourself every day: What is one small step I could take toward reaching my goal?

What is one small step I could take to improve my health (or relationships, or career, or any other area)?

Is there a person at work or

in my personal life whose voice and input I haven’t heard in a long time? What small question could I ask this person?

If you tend to feel pessimistic or negative, try asking yourself this question: What is one small thing that is special about me (or my spouse, or my organization)? If you continue to ask yourself this question over time, you’ll program your brain to look for what’s good and right,

Mind sculpture, developed by Ian Robertson, is a newer technique that involves total but still-imaginary sensory immersion. It requires its practitioners to pretend that they are actually engaged in the action, not just seeing but hearing, tasting, smelling, and touching. In mind sculpture, people imagine the movement of their muscles, and the rise and fall of their emotions.

since. When she thinks about pills, her brain runs through the one scenario it knows: a violent set of reactions. I suggested she provide her brain with an alternative to this scenario by imagining that she was successfully taking her medication and enjoying its positive effects.

“My goal is to get you to the point where you enjoy annual evaluations,” I said. “I think I can do this if you give me thirty seconds a day for the next three months. If it doesn’t work, you can tell human resources that you followed all my suggestions and fulfilled your obligation.” My request was so small that it was impossible for Michael to refuse.

The next month I asked Michael if he could continue to imagine one compliment but to add one critical comment as well.

Isolate a task either that you are afraid to do or that makes you uncomfortable. Try to give yourself at least a month before you actually have to perform this activity.

Decide how many seconds you’re willing to devote to mind sculpture for this task each day.

Repetition is essential: Whatever you do repeatedly, even if for only a few seconds at a time, the brain decides must be important and so begins committing cells to the new behavior.

When you are ready to practice mind sculpture, sit or lie down in a quiet, comfortable spot and close your eyes.

Imagine that you are in the difficult or uncomfortable situation and looking around you through your own eyes. What do you see? What is the setting? Who’s there? What do they look like? See the expressions on ...

What are the sounds and smells and flavors and tex...

Without moving an actual muscle, imagine that you are performing the task. What are the words you use? What does your voice sound like and how does it resonate throu...

Imagine a positive response to your activity. If you are mind sculpting for public speaking, for example, see the audience leaning forward in their seats, looking responsive and interested. Hear the scratch of pencil on...