In the final chapters of One Small Step, Dr. Maurer discusses "Taking Small Moments" to examine seemingly small observations that may have a huge impact later on a much larger scale. He gives several examples of thoughtful employees of companies who paid attention to moments in their lives where they saw great opportunity. For example, the American Airlines flight attendant who noticed removing one olive from their passenger's salads resulted in a lower cost salad, which saved the company over five hundred thousand dollars each year. Or the engineer who noticed burrs sticking to his dog's fur and eventually invented Velcro. In each example, noticing small moments helped open their eyes to larger possibilities. We've all heard stories of every day people who notice something small, yet take advantage of that "a ha!" moment to create something extraordinary.
Dr. Maurer says that we need to be curious and open minded in order to achieve this aspect of kaizen. He advises we can achieve better relationships with others using this technique. A study of married couples measured the amount of positive interaction between spouses, which correlated significantly to the success of their marriages. Couples who used a soothing tone when speaking to each other, who inquired about small things in their spouses day, who paid attention when their spouse came home at the end of the day all had happier marriages. What small details could you pay attention to that would make your spouse, child, or other people in your life feel more appreciated and loved ?
I really enjoyed this book, and in summary Dr. Maurer reminds us that kaizen never ends. It is an ongoing process we can use to achieve most any goal we set, to improve our relationships, improve our health and discover our inner power.
I hope everyone enjoyed the book as much as I did, and hope you will join us for a live chat with the author, Dr. Robert Maurer, on January 15 at 3pm EST. He will be chatting with us, answering your questions and discussing the book with Lumenos consumers on Ignite, so mark the date and join us!
Dell- a Lumen