Kaizen (改善, Japanese for "improvement") is a Japanese philosophy that focuses on continuous improvement throughout all aspects of life.
A key philosophy of Catalyst is continual, broad-based improvement. That means more than just physical fitness, more than just ‘wellness,’ and more than just ‘health.’
Physical well-being is a cornerstone to a happy life, full of meaning and purpose. So is mental health, spirituality, and self-actualization. Like physical well-being, these other cornerstones require practice and exercise.
While there are hundreds of exercise books and theories and websites, there are very few texts that exist to provide day-to-day coaching toward a well-rounded existance. Sure, you’ll find ‘self-help’ books galore on Amazon.com; you’ll get great advice on living a decent life at your religious service of choice. These are important and shouldn’t be skipped.
For practicality, though, it’s easier for most of us to take one actionable item per day and execute it. Improve in one area per day, instead of procrastinating for the one ‘perfect’ moment or lightning strike.
Like Crossfit has done for exercise, we will attempt to do for Kaizen. Daily, you’ll be given a simple (but not easy) task. Some will take 5 seconds. Some will take longer. Sometimes you’ll be taken out of your comfort zone: these are the most important ones!
Like exercising, self-improvement must be done in small, incremental steps. You can’t skip the gym all week, and expect to make it all up over the weekend. Likewise, waiting for the annual ‘retreat’ won’t trigger long-term, permanent change.
Our Kaizen blog, with daily WOD, is here.