Now I don’t know about you but I’m a bit of a tennis fan. In fact I’d actually go so far as to call myself a bit of a tennis ‘nut’. And as I watch the 2010 Australian Open from the comfort on my lounge chair this week, I am in awe of the level of fitness, skills and focus that each of these athletes display.
So as I watched Roger Federer obliterate his opponent the other day – which if you didn’t already know, is the number 1 player in the world – his pursuit of excellence reminded me of a Japanese word called “Kaizen.”
The word Kaizen, is derived from the Japanese words ‘Kai’ and ‘Zen’ where ‘kai’ means change and ‘zen’ means good. Thus ‘Kaizen’ means to commit to “constant and never-ending improvement” … something Roger Federer would be familiar with as he strives to be the best tennis player in history.
Now even though you may not be striving to be ‘World Number 1’, if you commit to constant and never-ending improvements in your life, you will start to notice subtle improvements in your own level of health, wealth and happiness.
You see change is actually a good thing. It involves a level of discomfort because you are essentially stepping out of your comfort zone into unfamiliar territory. And as most people don’t like to feel ‘uncomfortable’ – many fail to move forward because they are unwilling to go through the pain that often goes with it.
They are uncomfortable in their rut, but the pain of the process of change outweighs the discomfort of where they are now.
Tony Robbins once said, “We only learn our limits by going beyond them…Kaizen is a principle designed to encourage you to make small incremental improvements daily…and in doing so, you will be forced to find a way to go beyond your current set of self-imposed limitations”.
So if you are sick of where you are right now, in both your personal and professional life – then you must begin to make small, but achievable changes and improvements in your life on a daily basis, in order for you to move forward.
You see, committing to the process of change is as vital as committing to the change itself.
So as I watched Roger Federer serve up another first class display of tennis today, I decided it was time to recommit to the daily practice of Kaizen, in every area of my life including:
1. My health and fitness.
2. My relationships with my family and friends.
3. And in my business, personal and professional development.
So come and join me in my commitment to “constant and never-ending improvement!”
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And remember that your health is the most valuable thing that you have. Your relationships with the people you love, and who love you will nourish your soul.
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And be relentless in your pursuit of Kaizen, so that you can enjoy a healthy, joyful and abundant 2010 and beyond!
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