Kaizen: Getting Your Process To Be Your Product

The Self-Talk You May Hear Inside Your Head:

“You’re just faking it, you know. Look around at all the people who are bigger, better, faster, smarter. You kinda suck by comparison, and one day everyone’s going to see it.”

“Humiliation. It’s bound to happen. It’s just a matter of time.”

This is classic “Imposter Syndrome” and most people have some version of it sloshing around in their heads. It creates chronic angst and worry that (actually) impairs your ability to improve over time anyway.

The idea itself — that you’re not good enough — helps keep you from being better.

Change The Subject

You have these recorded messages playing in your brain on repeat (about your worth and lack thereof), but they’re just recordings. And that means you can change them.

Instead of comparing yourself to your idea of others, turn that on its head and compare yourself … to yourself.

Plug The Kaizen Conversation Into Your Brain

The word “Kaizen” is a Japanese philosophy and practice of becoming better through ongoing, incremental improvements your life, work, and business.

It’s a principle so it can be applied to lots of things, like:

• personal development,
• teamwork,
• problem-solving,
• and even company operations.

Unlike Imposter Syndrome, with Kaizen you measure yourself internally by your own self, and not by some external standard that is impossible to achieve.

Your focus is just simply moving yourself in the direction of excellence. Just by adding those small improvements, you create a more positive mindset.

The key is to reinforce this Kaizen standard:

1. Make ongoing improvements in some aspect of your life.
2. It’s okay if they’re small.
3. Once you have re-set your internal dialog, this can replace your Imposter Syndrome.

You’ll Still Have Imposter Syndrome

Don’t get me wrong, that recording that plays in your head … the one that says you’re never good enough, everyone else is great, and you kinda suck by comparison … will never not be there.

The key is whether …

• It will sound like yelling, or sound like a whisper.
• It will direct your behaviors, or you will dismiss it and direct your own behaviors.

So when you hear this narrative play in your head again, recognize it as your imposter syndrome. Call it by its name.

Then state to yourself that

All you can know, and all you can control, is yourself.

All you can do is improve a little more every day.

If you do this, you will move in the direction to manifest the outcomes you desire.

The Product IS The Process

Imposter Syndrome corrodes your heart and mind because it tells says YOU are no good, and THEY are the way things should be. You just kinda suck by comparison.

The Kaizen idea replaces that with a positive process. The steady ongoing improvements are about you, and can apply to everything in your life including

• work skills
• communication
• technical ability
• leisure activities

So you don’t suck, actually. You’ve just been told this. Replace that recording with a more productive conversation that builds you up from the inside, gives you some measure of control, and is all about steady ongoing improvement.

You made it to the bottom of this article, so this topic resonated with you.

Please SHARE this with someone who could also use this in their lives.

And if you need any help at all, please let us know.