Twenty years ago (wow, I’m getting old), I read the book Awaken the Giant Within
Constant and never-ending improvement (he shortens it to CAN-I) is a commitment that every day you make some improvement to yourself. Any improvement. Something big, something small, it doesn’t matter. What matters is the habit of always growing, learning, stretching yourself, bettering yourself, and improving yourself.
Some of you may recognize this as the Japanese process of kaizen. It’s basically the same thing. In either case, the idea is that you make continuous steps towards a perfect life. In your rock-garden, it might be moving a couple stones to better capture the contrast of different color patterns. In your mind it may be committing (and sticking to) eating only a small dessert rather than a large one for the foreseeable future. It could be fixing the leaking tap now rather than later. Or it might just be reminding yourself (and following through) to not use so much water when you shower, to cut down on utility bills or to help save the planet. Anything.
This is not fundamentally different from the financial concept of compound interest. In the bank or in an investment, the money you have earns interest. The interest earns interest, too. And the interest’s interest, well, it also earns interest. Ad infinitum. If you keep putting $500 a month into an interest-bearing account, eventually (faster than you’d intuit) you’ll be a millionaire. The same with small changes. Make a change and stick to it. The next day make another change and stick to it. The changes start compounding on top of each other, and pretty soon you’ve drastically altered the course of your life.
If you’re learning the guitar, and every day you practice what you already know, you get better. That’s the constant part. If you then add one new skill to your practice, before long you have lots of skills. That’s the never-ending part. Every day reinforce what you already know. Every day add something new.
Little changes add up. It might take months or even years to see the difference in your weight when you cut back a little on desserts, but you’ve got years… more than you probably think. Time has a way of passing quickly. Next thing you know, it’s been two or three decades. The question is, are the results visible?
For me they are. Some changes I made I’ve stuck to all these years. Others lasted a few years, or several months. Some didn’t make it to the end of the week. But the most significant change was the one to implement kaizen in the first place… that’s still here. Here’s how my life is better:
- I’m happy just about all the time. I used to not be. I enjoyed life, but I had the weight of the world on my shoulders. Not any more. (Sometimes I still get bogged down – more improvements to make.)
- My financial future is falling into place. I’m not wealthy yet (I had to hit rock-bottom before I was ready to put all the pieces together) but I can see financial freedom from here.
- I’m a middle-aged guy with a youthful body. I’m healthy, fit, slim, muscular. And I don’t work hard at it… I just eat well and stay generally active. I do fun things that are physically active. I haven’t been to a traditional gym in years (except for the swimming pool).
- I have a wonderful and beautiful relationship with a wonderful and beautiful woman. I have a great relationship with my son (though I don’t see him enough). I have deep friendships around the world. My friends can count on me, and I can count on them.
- … and more: my travel experiences, my sex life, my poker-playing skills, my guitar skills, and, well, you get the idea.
Most people try to change their life pinball-style. New Years comes, and they make a big list of changes that they are going to implement. Boing! And for the first day or two they stick to it. Then they return to old habits, or suddenly implement a new set of changes. Boing! They never form a habit.
A pinball bounces around randomly and never really gets anywhere.
A ship takes a long time to turn. Rather than hit a bumper and bounce off in a new direction, it gradually alters course. One compass degree at a time. But once it’s moving in the new direction, it’s hard to stop it. A new destiny has been set.
Be the ship.
Resources:
In the news
- If I can’t hear you, it must mean you’re frequencies are bad for me: How the Ear Protects Your Hearing
- Another reason to enjoy your daily glass of wine: Moderate Alcohol Consumption May Protect Against Disabilities
- Stay active, stay sharp: Simple Exercise Keeps Brain at Top of Its Game
Quote for the week
Better late than never. – Titus Livius
Healthy thoughts,
Jeff
