Happy New Year
Now that the hubbub is over let's get to work!
A journey of 1,000 miles begins with the first step. It does not matter that you go slow it only matters that you stop. -Old Chinese Proverb's
Got resolutions? What's your resolve to make them a reality?
Some Common Resolutions:
- Lose weight
- Live healthier
- Stop smoking
- Spend more time with the family
- Read that book
- Write that book
- Make more Money
- Save More
Most likely, some of these are the same resolutions you have declared before. How can you really succeed this time? Here is how.
When planning your goals for 2018 and beyond remember the Principle of Kaizen:
Kaizen-Japanese for "change for the better" or "improvement." The English translation is "continuous improvement" or "continual improvement." One of the basic principles of Kaizen is to think small, breaking things down to the smallest elements. What one small thing or step, and I mean really small, can you take today towards your goals? And when I say small I mean small.
In much of the Western world we think 24/7, fast, big, large innovations. We think why waste your time on small...yet few of us rarely accomplish big. So why not start small? Most people start huge and then can't keep up the pace of for example: going to the gym 12 times a day, or surviving on 12 calories; writing a novel in 24 hours. This rarely works so why not try something different. One problem with BIG can create fear. And this triggers a part of our original brain called the amygdala. I don't want to get into a biology lesson but here is what the amygdala does.
Functions of Amygdala:
1. Arousal
2. Controls Autonomic Responses Associated with Fear
3. Emotional Responses
4. Hormonal Secretions
While #1 arousal (is fun) it can certainly get us into trouble. The Amygdala response we are concerned with is fear; this is where our fight or flight responds are stored. If goals are too big, what happens most often...flight...we quit, or don't try. This is simply a fear response. We also create absolutes to go along with our big thinking. What happens then is if we can't run a marathon why then bother running at all; so much for that goal. Too big often stops us from doing small things. The cumulative effect of doing small things can be HUGE. Taking small steps is often the difference between moving forward, or taking no steps at all. Again, most important, as is true in most things in life, it is the cumulative effect and not the single action that creates results. Start Small - Win Big.
Make a Vow (Voice Of Winners) in 2018, turn your resolutions into reality. How... continual small steps. IT Works.
Stay tuned for part 2 next week!
Happy New Year!
Find A Way
Dennis