One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way by Robert Maurer

this is the book for accomplishing big task like mastering Oracle, break it down into smaller steps.

From Amazon review:

Introducing the practical and inspirational guide to incorporating Kaizen and its powerful principles into one's daily life. Rooted in the two thousand-year-old wisdom of the Tao Te Ching--"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step"--Kaizen is the art of making great and lasting change through small, steady increments. Kaizen is the tortoise versus the hare. Kaizen is the eleven Fortune 500 companies that significantly outperformed the market through moderate, step-by-step actions. Kaizen is losing weight not by a crash diet (which more often than not crashes) but by eating one bite less at each meal--then, a month later, eating two bites less. Kaizen is starting a life-changing exercise program by standing--just standing--on a treadmill for one minute a day.


This is a golden little book. Dr. Maurer has taken a business model for productivity and employee morale and applied it to psychology. He describes very simply how we can overcome fear, and accomplish our goals through small steps. I have often wondered why I haven't accomplished many of my big dreams. I have always described this lack of success as "shooting myself in the foot." I am perplexed as to why this happens. Dr. Maurer explains that it is fear in the brain (based on brain research at UCLA). He explains we can bypass the brain's reaction by taking smaller steps in accomplishing our goals, tiny ones. For example, I keep looking at my garden. It needs weeding, but I am very busy. I always do it all at once, so a month has passed. Now I am doing it, 6' at a time, could be a foot at a time. I stop when that section is done. It will be done in a week or so. It is our grandiose thinking that triggers fear, so he is teaching us to focus on a small part of the project, or goal. This all sounds simple, but it is truly a powerful message. Whether you can't get yourself to exercise, or you are shy socially, you can break your goal down into the simplest and smallest step and,in time, you will have success. I have recommended this book to everyone I meet, friends and strangers. They have all called to thank me for it. The fact that Dr. Maurer's ideas are based on a successful business model, and brain research, means that it appeals to a wider audience, not just the "self help" crowd. All therapists should read this (I was one once). It will save you and your clients time and heartache. Of course, we have to envy Dr. Maurer's clients. You can just feel if you had him in your life, you could do anything. By reading and paying attention to his words, I believe his wise little book will serve you and friends very well




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.



The author explains that many of us are overwhelmed with the magnitude of the effort, discipline and change required to accomplish a major personal or professional objective. Many of us try to run a marathon (lose weight, quit smoking, etc) without any pre-race training - the outcome - pain and/or inability to finish. So we start, stop, start, stop and eventually we condition ourselves to failure. Dr. Maurer explains that success is derived by understanding the root problem, taking small actions by breaking it down into small segments and reward yourself to gather and maintain momentum. Author explains that by stringing together small pearls you eventually acquire the necklace you desire. The book can be read in one sitting in less than a few hours and was worth my time. The Chapter headings are:

Intro: One Small Step
1) Why Kaizen Works
2) Ask Small Questions
3) Think Small Thoughts
4) Take Small Actions
5) Solve Small Problems
6) Bestow Small Rewards
7) Identify Small Moments
8) Kaizen for Life