One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way

by Robert Maurer

Book Overview

Improve your life fearlessly with this essential guide to kaizen--the art of making great and lasting change through small, steady steps.

The philosophy is simple: Great change is made through small steps. And the science is irrefutable: Small steps circumvent the brain's built-in resistance to new behavior.

No matter what the goal--losing weight, quitting smoking, writing a novel, starting an exercise program,...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0761129235
• ISBN13: 9780761129233
• Release Date: June 2004
• Publisher: Workman Publishing
• Length: 182 Pages
• Weight: 0.62 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.3" x 7.1"

Customer Reviews

Not a fluff book---real answers

Excellent book! It actually made a difference. I have a BA in Pscyhology and I learned everything there was ever to know about why people are the way they are. Unfortunately that doesn't help them change. I have seen so many people go through self analysis and therapy and become extremely educated in why they are overweight, afraid of intimacy etc. etc. but still can't do a darn thing about it. This book is about HOW to make changes. They are small, incremental changes but that is actually how you can overcome something that is just too big to break at one time. Another person advocating babysteps for decluttering and good for moms at home www.flylady.net

How the science of Quality can change your life

The philosophy of small can produce big results. The topic of this book is how the big things in your life, your business, your relationships are really no more than a series of very small things. The key to change is the ability to make the minute course corrections over time, not big changes all at once. The book starts with some great examples of how our mindset typically works when faced with major change or obstacles. We freeze. We are unable to grasp the enormity of what is required and therefore have less likelihood of success. The strategy is then in breaking the situation down to smaller segments and executing them. For example, anyone can exercise three minutes a day. Now by itself this won't change your life, but what if three turns into ten, ten into twenty, twenty into thirty? Now major change is underway. The other essential element to this approach is the ability to understand root causes. This is a critical step in any Quality effort in business, but is also just as relevant and perhaps more important in life. Start by asking small questions. These will eventually lead to the root or core issues to be addressed. The other sections lead from these basic premises. Take small actions, for example. Once the problem or change desired is broken down into smaller segments, don't try to change all at once. Take small steps and watch them grow. I think a big reason this is so difficult to do, is that many of us hard charging type-A types lack the patience to allow change to happen through the one step at a time mindset, and want to rush it all at once. We do so often with faster results that over time achieve less, and therefore in the end are in fact slower than if we were patient to begin with. I found this book to be very enlightening. It presents wisdom that is common sense, yet rarely acted upon. I have tried several of the techniques and found them to be very helpful. I recommend this book highly. A small investment that could pay off in a big way.

A life-changer

Dr. Maurer's enlightening book presents simple steps to happiness by participating in life on the level your cortex is ready for. In fact, his teachings show you how to train your brain. This book shows how easy it is to quit resisting the pain and excuses created around starting a new exercise regimen, asking that person out for coffee, going in to that boss and asking for a raise, etc. Check it out!

If Other Self Improvement Systems Have Failed, Try This!

I read a good deal of self improvement literature and this work is one of the best. If you've tried dozens of New Year's Resolutions that have failed, or if you just can't make headway in living a healthy lifestyle, this book can provide you with an alternative approach that isn't about positive thinking or affirmations. The Science of Small Steps is a system that fools your brain into forgetting the fear of failure and other self-sabotaging tendencies that hijack your efforts. I've used the system to help me make progress in business and on the personal front. I've been able to develop positive habits like regular exercise and flossing my teeth by utilizing this system. The book is well-organized, easy to read and interesting.

EXTRAORDINARY GEM!

I am not a fan of self-help books, but this parcel of wisdom is an exception. Dr. Maurer gently guides you through a whole new way of perceiving your life, and towards the path to making those improvements you've been putting off indefinitely. The key? Baby steps. Sounds so simple, and it is. But you'll want to read Dr. Maurer's explanation for WHY this works, and HOW you can make it work for you. Forget about doing 20 pushups -- get down on the floor and do ONE. Floss ONE tooth. I'm oversimplifying, but that's the point -- Dr. Maurer encourages you to take monumental tasks and break them down into small manageable digestable morsels. Big problems? He teaches you how to ask small questions that will get them solved. I can't do justice to the genius of his presentation. This is well organized material, based on a series of lectures he has delivered around the globe to big companies and small organizations -- as well as his experiences as a psychotherapist in private practice. It gets proven results. The writing is engaging, the quotes and anecdotes are entertaining, and instead of the usual vague advice one typically gleans from this genre, you'll learn from an abundance of scientific and historical evidence (entertainingly presented), as well as receive hardcore action steps that YOU can undertake today. You'll be looking at life through a whole new set of lenses -- and with less stress and more productivity. Most powerfully, it demonstrates how each one of us can dramatically affect not only our own lives, but also exert positive influence over those around us. Buy a copy for yourself, and another batch as gifts for your friends, family, and colleagues. It's that good! Enjoy!