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On The Night Stand:
Jeff's Current Favorite

One Small Step Can Change Your Life
The Kaizen Way
By Robert Maurer, Ph.D.

The philosophy is simple: Great change is made through small steps. Legendary college basketball coach, John Wooden, say's it this way:  

“When you improve a little each day, eventually big things occur. When you improve conditioning a little each day, eventually you have a big improvement in conditioning. Not tomorrow, not the next day, but eventually a big gain is made. Don’t look for the big, quick improvement. Seek the small improvement one day at a time. That’s the only way it happens - and when it happens, it lasts.” 

  

Our brains are designed to resist change and any new challenge or opportunity or desire triggers some degree of fear. And fear can cause you to unconsciously sabotage your best intentions. Whether the challenge is a new job or just meeting a new person, the amygdale (the part of the brain that mediates fight-or-flight) alerts parts of the body to prepare for action - and our access to the cortex, the thinking part of the brain, is restricted, and sometimes shut down.

In reality, fear is the body’s gift, alerting us to a challenge. The more we care about something, the more we dream, the more fear shows up. Understanding that fear is normal, and a natural sign of ambition, makes us more likely to hold on to hope and optimism - qualities that increase our willingness to take the kinds of small steps that circumvent the fear.

By taking small steps, you can effectively rewire your nervous system and make progress toward your goal.  Here's how Mauer contrasts the two options we have when facing a challenge:

   A.)  Large Goal --> Fear --> Access to Cortex Restricted --> Failure

   B.)  Small Goal --> Fear Bypassed --> Cortex Engaged --> Success

I don't know about you but I like my chances better with Option B!  Here's some practical advice from the book ...

Shhhh ... Don’t Wake the Amydala!

When considering your need and desire for personal growth and change, start by asking small questions. Forget big, scary questions like, “What am I going to do to put my life back together?” and instead ask something more like, “What is one small step I could take today to improve my health (or relationship, or career, or any other area)?”

By asking small, gentle questions, we keep the amygdala’s fight-or-flight response in the “off” position. Ask a question often enough, and you’ll find your brain storing the questions, turning them over, and eventually generating some interesting and useful responses. The mere act of posing the same question on a regular basis and waiting patiently for an answer mobilizes the cortex. A small question is not demanding, not scary. It can actually be fun and stimulate creativity.