I’m not sure which magazine I was reading recently (I want to say it was Woman’s World), but there was an article about how to accomplish any goal, no matter how big, if you just take it one step at a time.
The article explained that the reason many people don’t fulfill their dreams or seize their goals is because they try to do too much at once. However, by focusing on completing one small goal before chipping away at the next –or even worrying about the next– people are much more likely to succeed.
The article also referenced the Japanese word for this approach: kaizen.
Most of the goals addressed in the article were things like making more money, starting a business, or losing weight. But what about relationships? Couldn’t such an approach also be applied to them?
I say, “Yes!” Because isn’t our main goals for our relationships to see them thriving and successful?
The beauty of kaizen is that it can be applied to all relationships. Whether you have one that’s pretty strong but not living up to its full potential, or one that’s tattered and falling apart, all are fixable. (Or reinforceable, as may be the case with non-broken relationships.)
So what’s the first step? Identify what kind of relationship you have currently versus what kind you’d like to have.
If you have a harmonious one but want it to beam, brainstorm ways you think would enhance it even more.
If you have one riddled with problems, identify what exactly those problems are.
That’s it. You’ve taken the first step. You don’t have to do anything else –just yet. (I have a feeling this could lead to a series of blogs about mending relationships one step at a time.)
Mainly I just wanted to write about kaizen, which I think is a neat concept and fits in perfectly with my resolve to make the best of marriage in ’08 while also fulfilling reader requests for conflict resolution strategies as was expressed in the forums.
But I guess the real question is, what do you think about it? Helpful or not?
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