Incremental Improvement Of Your Life

In the nineteen fifties, Japan was noted for building lousy cars. Cheap, inferior, prone to breakdown and fail, they were the laughing stock of the world auto industry. Now, they build mostly the worlds best autos. How did this happen, you might wonder? Well, they didn’t do it in one model year, I can assure you of that! Instead, they met an American engineer named Howard Deeming, and his brillian idea for improving processes. Building things is all about process!

Howard’s idea was elegant and utterly simple. Don’t try to change everything at the same time; others had done this and failed miserably. He suggested they fix easy, simple and obvious things first. Like designing a window crank or hood latch that worked well. Each new model year they improved a few more things a bit. Fifty years later, they were building amazingly fine autos!

So why do I bring this up here? Because, when your life is a train wreck, you’ve got the same problem the Japanese had with their car building. Most people try to overhaul their horrid life in one massive stroke, and fail utterly. Worse, this convinces them that their life is hopeless, and they quit trying to make it better. Here’s a clue. Find a couple of better friends. Get some education, if you lack that. Then find a better job. Maybe you can improve your marriage, so it doesn’t suck, or just prune the other party and start over.

You have a better life by improving the one you’ve got now a dribble at a time. The important thing is to take small bites, so you can succeed and keep moving forward. Eventually, you’ll find things much improved. Incremental improvement for your life and soul; don’t leave home without it.

Jack