Kaizen – The Gateway to Mastery
Kaizen is a Japanese term that means ‘Continuous Improvement’. It’s a concept that mirrors the self-actualisation drive we all have – when our lower needs are adequately and healthily met (sufficient food, sleep, recognition, friendships, etc.) we experience the ‘emergent property’ of wanting to grow, become more, better ourselves and experience beauty, joy, learning, growth and contribute to a better world for those we care about… and that feeling of wanting to do something just for the inherent joy of doing it.
We naturally experience Kaizen in our hobbies; wanting to improve our skills, get faster, be more efficient, more knowledgeable. We feel those moments of ‘flow’ (effortless and intense joy and engagement) and then want more! We may see a beautiful painting and want to see more or learn about it or the artist; hear a great tune and learn more about the band/singer; see someone do something awesome and want to be able to do that ourselves. And it usually comes from a sense of adventure, curiosity and expectation that we get from challenging and stretching ourselves, of actually wanting to learn more.
Mastery comes from continuously improving ourselves. Mastery occurs when we engage deeply and intensely in something over a long period of time. It’s not about knowing lots; it’s about knowing something (and especially the basics) really well.
- A master martial artist may practice a single punch over and over; in slow motion, at speed; feeling the best footwork for the punch; studying the angles in her arms, legs, torso; the best breathing; etc. until she knows intimately every tiny aspect of their entire body during the punch.
- A master chess player may study one opening move and how it can lead to thousands of combinations of further moves. And when she/he knows that, move onto the next opening move.
And paradoxically don’t think that it doesn’t mean variety. Many diverse things can give us that sense of continuously improving.
- The martial artist may learn about anatomy as it relates to that perfect punch; or yoga to improve balance and reach.
- The chess master may study psychology to help predict an opponent’s move; or memory techniques or ‘brain gym’ to improve retention.
The bigger the passion, engagement and curiosity, the more intense is the joy of achievement. The bigger the challenge, the better the reward! So where do you experience Kaizen, where do you want Mastery? Is it through reading about something you love, stretching yourself in sports or other competitions, doing puzzles and solving problems?
If you want to polish your performance, supercharge your influence, clarify your thinking, or enhance your career, check out some options here. And to find out more about coaching and training for continuous improvement towards mastery, contact me alan@optimum-mind.com