I was preparing to cook spaghetti a few nights ago. I had water heating in a pot, I added some salt and a dash of olive oil, and as the water began to boil I tried to snap a fistful of dry spaghetti in half to put in the pot.
I failed. Miserably. The bunch wasn’t even that thick, maybe a few inches in diameter. But I just couldn’t do it. My ego was bruised, and I tried again and again to snap the spaghetti in half, but to no avail. In the end I put my pride in the pantry, and I halved the size of the bunch of spaghetti, and began snapping away. We can all draw some valuable lessons from spaghetti. One straw on its own is feeble. You could break it just by flicking it. But a handful of those thin straws creates a structure that is virtually unbreakable. How does this apply to us? Simply, we are all stronger together. If you have ever been through a serious crisis in your life, you hopefully had some support to help you through it. Family, fiends, colleagues, partners etc. Life can be stressful sometimes, and things won’t always go to plan. When we fund ourselves subject to these stresses, it helps to lean on someone and seek their advice, and guidance to help get you through. So the next time you find yourself in a tough situation, think of that bunch of spaghetti and how fragile those individual straws are on their own. Reach out to someone, tell them what’s on your mind and use their support to become stronger, more resilient, and unbreakable. Have you ever known someone, maybe a relative, classmate or colleague, who seems to drain a room of all joy and energy when they enter into it? Their mere presence is like a rain cloud looming in the sky. When these people telephone you, look at you, come near you, talk to you; it drags you down. On the flip side, have you ever known someone who is a joy to be near. A person who exudes confidence (not arrogance), positivity, humour and kindness. You may even be married to such a person, or your closest friend may be one of these people. When these people call you on the phone, shake your hand, give you a hug, and converse with you; it feels pleasant. Why? Emotions are transferable. Early on in anyone’s school education, it is taught that energy is transferable. If you put hot water into a cool mug, the heat energy of the water will soon transfer into the mug itself; heating it up. The same rules apply to the transfer of emotions. Here’s a common scenario. Jane is having a good day, and she is driving her car to see some friends as she sings to the radio. Jane is driving at the speed limit. Ian is having a bad day, and he is in a foul mood. He is also driving his car, and he is late for an appointment. Ian is speeding. As Jane is driving, a car begins to tailgate her from behind. Jane feels pressured as the car edges closer and closer to hers, forcing her to speed up. The car behind is driven by Ian. Ian eventually overtakes Jane and speeds off, beeping his horn at her in anger as he passes. Jane beeps back and swears as Ian’s car passes, shouting profanities she didn’t even know she knew. Jane is now having a bad day. This is a basic example of transferring emotions, and if you are reading this and you can drive a car, it is likely you’ve had a similar experience (either as a Jane or an Ian)! Most times, we may not even be aware of the effect our emotional state is having on our external environment. We may be convinced that we are just fine, and everyone else has a problem. Maybe the person you think is the problem, thinks the same about you. We can’t all be Mr/Mrs Happy-Go-Lucky all the time, we are all fallible, and sometimes we have bad days. But we can make an effort to ensure our negative emotions are not transferred without permission. A way of transferring any negative emotions with permission is to confide in someone. Tell them you aren’t feeling great, share your problem with them. If they are solution-oriented, they may offer you some great advice, and ironically their positive state may uplift you. Be aware of your emotions. Be conscious of the things you say, or do – as they will most likely have an effect, for better or worse, on those around you. Photo Source: Physio Podcast
We all have lessons to share. Traditionally, self-development material was produced by men and women who had achieved a lot. Either they were proven captains of industry (i.e. Richard Branson), or life-coaches with decades of experience (i.e. Tony Robins). But virtually every person on the planet has a lesson to share. A great example of this can be seen on YouTube. If you know where to look, YouTube is an excellent resource of personal development material – most of it created by people who are not (yet) world famous; but people who simply have lessons to share. I will write a dedicated post on this soon, but a great example is Evan Carmichael's YouTube channel. Evan is passionate about sharing some very cool lessons from his own life, and others. A useful habit for anyone to develop is to write down such lessons as and when they occur. For example, you may have met someone who had a profound impact on you. Or it could be that you made a mistake, failed at something and learned a crucial lesson from that failure. Write it down. Learn from it, and if you are able to, share it. An example of a lesson I recently took note of is: It is never too late to stand up straight. We all slouch occasionally. Some people do it more than others. Slouching is not only a bad habit to develop for muscular-skeletal reasons, but it also conveys a negative body image. People who slouch may be deemed to have low self-esteem, confidence issues, and low energy. Whereas people who stand straight are more likely to portray an image of confidence and assurance. But it is never too late to stand up straight. In an instant you can change your physical, and physiological state; simply by standing tall, chest out and shoulders back. Taking this one step further, it is never too late to improve anything in your life. It could be making a phone call to someone and telling them you love them. It could be cutting out sugary drinks and processed foods from your diet. Maybe it is throwing away that half-full packet of cigarettes, and making a firm resolution to never smoke ever again. We can instantly change so many aspects of our lives by taking immediate action. Not only will we feel better for it, but our decision to change will be manifested in how we look and carry ourselves. So do yourself a favour and stand up straight. Right now. The thought crossed my mind today: Is Project Kaizen a self-help website?
If we look at the active verbs being used it becomes clear that self-help and personal development are two completely different things, which require a different mind-set. Would you rather help your self, or develop your person? When I read or hear the word help I immediately think of danger, peril, and helplessness. The dictionary describes help as: [To] make it easier or possible for (someone) to do something by offering them one’s services or resources. When considering the word develop, I think of things being built in progressive stages. For example, property development, software development and economic development. The dictionary defines development as: [To] grow or cause to grow and become more. Looking at the above definitions it is fair to say that both self-help and personal development aim to achieve the same or similar results. The big difference is the mind-set of the person adopting the principles. Personal development is a much more positive term, which not only encapsulates the fact that someone is helping themselves, but they are also growing and becoming more. Kaizen, or continuous improvement, is all about becoming more. Typically used in a commercial sense, it can also be applied personally; to help us become more efficient, more attentive, more present, more ambitious, more caring (the list goes on). So in answer to my own question, no Project Kaizen is not a self-help website and is much more aligned to the notion of personal development. ![]() I recently delved into the realm of non-fiction, and wrote a short ebook called The Ten Minute Jumpstart. In fact, it is so short, you could probably finish it in ten minutes! But that was always the goal - after all, jumpstarts should be quick. The premise behind writing the Ten Minute Jumpstart was to share a technique I use when I know I am procrastinating, and need a quick boost to get things done. What is procrastination? In its modern interpretation, procrastination is the act of avoiding or delaying taking action. A typical example of procrastination are those lazy Sundays spent on the couch in our pyjamas binge-watching Netflix, when we know we have other important tasks to attend to. If we break down the roots of the word procrastination, we can see that it does not always have to be a dirty word: Pro – meaning to advance, or move forward (i.e. provide, program, protect, progress etc). You get the idea, all of these words support action and doing. Crastinus – Latin for “belonging to tomorrow”. Putting something off until tomorrow can be quite useful, especially if an important decision needs more time to be contemplated. But the key here is that action is still being taken, as the mind continues to dwell on the task. This is good procrastination. E.g. The president procrastinated as to whether or not he should give the order to invade [INSERT COUNTRY], as he needed more time to consider the consequences. After a good night's sleep and much thought, he decided not to invade [INSERT COUNTRY], and played a round of golf instead. However, more often than not, we put things off until tomorrow because we do not want to contemplate them. This is bad procrastination. E.g. Chad knew he needed to spend a few hours on his homework, but the first episode of season 23 of Game of Thrones was about to start. He decided to start his coursework some other time. How to overcome bad procrastination This is in essence what the 10 Minute Jumpstart aims to help you with. The method is quick, and you can use it straight away. Like jumpstarting a car, it’s not something you will need to do every day; only when you find your own batteries running flat. Feel free to check it out on Kindle here: BUY THE E-BOOK ON AMAZON (US) BUY THE E-BOOK ON AMAZON (UK) BUY THE E-BOOK ON AMAZON (AUS) Enjoy :) |
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Kaizen is a Japanese principle which means "change for better", or more commonly "continuous improvement."
This website seeks to apply the principles of kaizen to our daily lives. |