Micro Steps = Big Change

 I recently went to a used book sale at my local library and found a small book called One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way by Robert Maurer. It cost me only 25 cents, and it's packed full of information about taking very small steps when wanting to make any change in one’s life.

I love this little book! It’s in alignment with what I’ve been telling coaching clients for years…baby or micro steps add up over time and become quantum leaps. What I didn’t realize all those years ago was why it worked. Yes, I understood that moving slowly would feel more doable and that taking on tiny actions would feel less intimidating and overwhelming. What I didn’t realize was that micro steps would bypass fear and resistance, making it easier to move forward.

Bypassing fear feels much better than simply powering through it, doesn’t it?

It all begins with giving ourselves permission to slow things down into very small actions—so small to almost seem absurd. Examples include playing piano using a five-minute timer, doing one push up, writing one line of an email, skipping one sugary dessert or drink and so on. In our overly ambitious culture, in which we applaud big goals and achievements, this can seem counterintuitive.

This book addresses that and more. The whole premise of micro steps is based on an ancient philosophy called Kaizen. In an excerpt from the book it reads, “Kaizen has two definitions: using very small steps to improve a habit a process or a product; using very small moments to inspire new products and inventions.”

What I love is that this approach has been shown to help people move forward without the usual procrastination and self-sabotage. Instead of expecting to go from zero to sixty all at once, Kaizen requires a mindset shift that values the process and the journey, not just the outcome.

Given that so many of us set large intentions and goals for a brand new year, it’s helpful to know that we might be best served through realistically pacing ourselves. This is especially true if we’ve attempted to make certain changes in our live but have found ourselves stuck in the same patterns of fear and resistance with little or no progress.

The author also suggests asking small questions of ourselves. Questions are foundation of all coaching relationships, so this idea resonated with me in that many of us feel a yearning for something but often don’t take the time to truly explore the details of what we’re seeking. Instead of writing a list of qualities, asking questions opens up new pathways in the brain and offers us a chance to imagine and ponder our answers. Simple questions that prompt us to wonder what would feel good, what would make us feel loved or how would we want to spend our time are all ways for us to feel into our answers.

The essence of Kaizen is about slowing down and tuning into the present. If you were navigating a steep mountain trail in the snow, you would have to be conscious of each step and move slowly and deliberately or you risk falling. Perhaps bringing the level of mindfulness to all of our actions would bring our stress down, not just through removing the feeling of external pressure to do so much, but also through inviting us to savor each step of the journey for its own sake rather that seeing it simply as a means to an end.