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Zusammenfassung von One Small Step Can Change Your Life

Name: One Small Step Can Change Your Life
Rating: 4.7 (658 reviews)
Author: Robert Maurer

Robert Maurer

The Kaizen Way

4.7 (658 Bewertungen)

18 Min.

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One Small Step Can Change Your Life
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What’s in it for me? Take small steps – then giant leaps.

Change can be hard. Whether it’s eating healthier, regular exercise, or saving money, most of us struggle to stick to these plans. New Year’s resolutions are quickly abandoned, business strategies barely make it past the first month, and exercise routines end just after the purchase of new running shoes.

But according to author and psychologist Dr. Robert Maurer, there’s an easy way to make changes in our lives. It involves taking inspiration from the Japanese concept of kaizen, or “continuous improvement.” There are simple strategies that you can use to start making changes right away, in any area of your life.

In the words of the philosopher Lao Tzu, “A journey of a thousand miles must begin with the first step.” That’s the essence of kaizen. Hi, my name is Julia and in these Blinks, we’ll go over Dr Maurer’s book ‘One Small Step Can Change Your Life - The Kaizen Way’. You’ll discover how to take that first step on your journey – and change your life for the better. So let’s get started.

In this Blink, you’ll learn

the power of repetitive questions;
how the “mind sculpture” exercise can help you face challenges; and
techniques for creating lasting habits.

Chapter 1: By taking small steps, you can make changes more easily.

Let's start by thinking of a change you want to make in your life. Maybe you want to eat healthier or set aside a little money each month for some savings. Or you might have a bad habit you’d like to give up.

There’s a chance you’ve already tried and found making this change difficult. Like I said earlier, change can be hard. Even when you go in with the best intentions, sticking to your resolutions isn’t easy.

Believe me when I say - it’s not just you. Most of us struggle. The average American will make the same New Year’s resolution for ten consecutive years – and fail every time.

But it doesn’t have to be so hard. Robert Maurer argues that making changes can be surprisingly straightforward. All you need is kaizen.

Maybe you’ve heard of kaizen before, perhaps in a business context. This concept of continuous improvement is all about doing things slowly and taking small steps in order to make larger positive changes.

Maurer recommends kaizen to his clients – chainsmokers, unhappy bachelors, wiped out parents . . . all kinds of people. It’s effective for anyone who’s trying to live a healthier, happier life.

Let’s look at six different ways you can use kaizen in your life. The great thing is, you don’t even need to use all of these techniques. Each one works on its own, and you can start using them right away.

First, though, let’s take a quick look at the science behind kaizen. How does it work, exactly? Why are small steps so effective?

Essentially, kaizen is a kind of hack – a way to bypass our biological instincts.

Most of the time, the human brain doesn’t handle change so well. Because sudden change triggers our fight-or-flight response, which happens in the part of the brain called the amygdala. Whether it’s something big, like changing careers, or small, like cutting down on chocolate, our brains just don’t like it. Change is perceived as a threat.

But with kaizen, the changes don't feel so scary. By making minor, gradual changes, you can tiptoe past the amygdala and avoid triggering alarm bells.

That’s how kaizen works – tricking your brain by taking small, sneaky steps.

Chapter 2: Asking yourself small questions is an effective way to lay the groundwork for change.

So, how do you start? Let’s say the change you’re trying to make is a particularly daunting one, like starting a big creative project. One of the best ways to begin is with a question – a small question.

This is the approach that Michael Ondaatje, the author of The English Patient, uses when he starts a new novel. Faced with a blank page, he asks himself questions. Not big, difficult questions like “What kind of character would readers like?” Instead, he thinks of a scene, like a plane crash, and then asks small questions, such as “Who’s the guy in the plane?” or “What year is it?”

Chapter 3: Tap into the power of your imagination using the “mind sculpture” technique.

Let’s look at another hack for your brain. It’s a technique called “mind sculpture,” and it was developed by the psychologist Ian Robertson. While it may sound a little strange and abstract, mind sculpture is actually very simple. It’s all about using your imagination to mentally rehearse for a future activity.

The swimmer Michael Phelps used mind sculpture while training for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. He lay in bed and imagined that he was on the starting block. Then he visualized himself swimming, picturing each movement. In his head, he was doing everything perfectly.

Chapter 4: Make your first step as small as possible.

So far, we’ve explored “small questions,” “small thoughts,” and “small steps.” You may be wondering, how “small” are we actually talking about?

Maurer’s advice is to make each step as small as possible – especially when you’re just starting to make a change.

Chapter 5: Focus on small problems first, and look out for early warning signs.

As you get into the habit of thinking small, use the same approach for any problems you encounter. Instead of getting overwhelmed by the big picture, start by tackling small problems.

This is the approach that William Bratton used when he was the New York City Police Commissioner. Bratton’s task was to tackle subway crime. In the 1980s, there were 15,000 felonies on the subway each year. Big interventions, like budget increases or putting more cops on the beat, didn’t seem to be making a difference.

Chapter 6: Small rewards can be more effective than big rewards.

Focusing on small problems probably sounds pretty intuitive, right? But what about small rewards?

You might find it hard to believe, but small rewards often work better than big rewards. Just look at the success of employee suggestion programs.

Chapter 7: Appreciate the little things in life, and pay attention to small moments.

By now, hopefully you’re convinced that the small steps of kaizen can make a big difference.So why stop there? Apply the kaizen mindset to other areas of your life too. Give small things the attention they deserve. Relationships, for instance. What’s a relationship, really, but a series of small moments? We tend to focus on the big things – a special gift or a memorable vacation. But it’s the little, day-to-day moments that can make or break a relationship.

The psychology professor John Gottman conducted an in-depth study of couples, focusing on their daily routines and interactions. As a result, he was able to predict the couples’ futures with 93 percent accuracy. He could tell whether each couple would be happily married or divorced in the next few years.

Final Summary

So, those were the blinks to One Small Step Can Change Your Life, by Robert Maurer.

The key takeaway from all this is:

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Worum geht es in One Small Step Can Change Your Life?

One Small Step Can Change Your Life (2004) is a practical self-help guide inspired by the concept of kaizen – change through small steps. It suggests a variety of simple techniques that can help anyone improve their lives and make lasting changes, one small step at a time.

Wer One Small Step Can Change Your Life lesen sollte

People struggling to achieve their health goals
Writers, artists, or other creatives who feel blocked
Anyone who’s feeling pessimistic or demotivated

Über den Autor

Robert Maurer is a clinical psychologist at UCLA and the University of Washington School of Medicine. He organizes regular lectures and seminars on kaizen and is the author of The Spirit of Kaizen and Mastering Fear.

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