What in the heck is kaizen? Well, for starters it's the one thing all successful people do that virtually guarantees their prosperity. And if you practice it consistently your success is inevitable.

So what is it?

Kaizen is a Japanese word which, in English, most closely translates to "Continuous Improvement." The concept of continuous improvement has been around for thousands of years in the Japanese culture.

It was synthesized into the philosophy of Total Quality Management by Dr. W. Edwards Deming when he was given the task of revitalizing Japan's economy immediately following World War II.

If you look at Japan's economy today you can see the effectiveness of this philosophy - they're a powerhouse.

But how does the philosophy of kaizen apply to you? Easy. Take the words "Continuous Improvement" and stick a "Self" in the middle.

"Continuous Self Improvement" is the single most important concept to apply to your life if you hope to be successful. Plain and simple.

I suggest to you that the best way to reach this better world is to become a more effective person. And that's only achieved through kaizen.

Put the card in a prominent corner of the mirror you use when you comb your hair in the morning & brush your teeth at night.

Look at it every day (including weekends). Before you leave in the morning, think about what you will do that day to improve yourself. Before you go to sleep at night, think of some way you improved yourself during that day.

There are thousands of ways for you to improve yourself. The general categories are to do something new, to do something better, and to increase your awareness.

Examples include:

-extending your exercise time, thereby improving your fitness

-reading a nonfiction book

-improving your time management

-learning how to make something using tools, or how to paint, or cook

-shining your shoes

-starting to sort and recycle your garbage

-changing your diet so you start eating healthy foods

-participating in a community service project

-offering or listening to advice

-learning a foreign language

-caring for someone

-revising your itinerary to make it more productive

...and so on.

Particularly useful things to learn (if you haven't already) are how to improve your memory, speed reading, typing, and computer skills. These will help you make better use of your time - your most precious asset.

The list is endless. Choosing ways to improve yourself is the easy part.

What's difficult is maintaining enthusiasm for the rest of your life and having the discipline to make kaizen a part of your daily schedule.

The Japenese have become very good at it. They work at improvement in the quality of their products, the efficiency of their service, and their daily living habits.

The secret of maintaining kaizen...

The most important aspect of staying enthusiastic during your pursuit of continuous improvement is your interest level - your attitude.

I know a family where a sixth-grader came home with a report card that was all D's and C's. His father asked why. "I can never remember anything" was the answer.

If you ask this same child about baseball, he can give you the earned run averages and win-loss records of every pitcher on his home team, as well as the batting average of each player.

Memory obviously isn't the problem - it's a lack of interest in the subject matter.

Most of the effective people I know are concerned with the issue of self-improvement. Those who are already good want to get better.

They recognize that when you sharpen your skills in one area it has a positive impact in other areas - they're all interrelated.

Your physical health affects your mental health; your spiritual strength affects your social and emotional strength; your emotional strength affects your relationships...it goes on and on. They're all related.

As you improve in one area, you increase your ability in other areas as well. As you become more involved in continuing education, you increase your knowledge base and you increase your options.

Try the Art of Kaizen, and improve your self from today.

Regard's

Francis Daniel (Bahrain).