Kaizen, The Art of Continual Improvement

Kaizen, The Art of Continual Improvement.

We enjoyed a relaxed and quiet autumn at our house in New Zealand.

I enjoyed writing sutras, cooking all sorts of creations in the kitchen, reading and painting in my studio.

The garden gave us lots of delicious cucumbers, gooseberries, fiejoas and lemons, some apples, figs and a constant fresh supply of herbs and green chives.
We are yet to get some persimmons from the two trees that we planted over five years ago, although they look healthy and vibrant.

Whenever I am not feeling inspired in the studio, I simply make some drawings and doodles or free floating sketches, until ideas come to me.

While I paint, I listen to lectures and webinars (web seminars), music and inspirational talks.

Now we are flying to Japan, to travel around Kyushu island and to study Japanese in Fukuoka, its largest city.

As we pack and get ready for the journey, I reflect on the Japanese philosophy of “Kaizen.”

Kaizen is a Japanese concept of “constant improvement” or “consistent incremental development,” that is often used as a model for improvement in the corporate world.

In large corporations, factories and other businesses, Kaizen aims to improve productivity, effectiveness, cleanliness, efficiency and safety, while reducing waste.

But the concepts of Kaizen can be helpful in the process of self development as well.

The idea is that you must frequently pause to assess where you are, to work to improve a little every day.
It is a fabulous idea.

One must never stop learning and challenging herself, even if she learns something small like a few words in a new language per day, or reading about something new that she did not know about.

Taking courses, seminars, learning new skills and having new and positive challenges, help us to stretch beyond sedate patterns and redefine who we are.

Many do not intend to be lazy or sedentary, they simply allow their past patterns and their worries to guide and propel their lives.

Life is a continual process of creation.

At every moment and in every situation, you are making a choice of whom you wish to be.

You are not bound to your past, and you do not have to behave in the same old ways you used to behave.
You are free to make new choices, to redefine who you are, to learn and embrace new ways of being.

Your current personality has evolved out of your life’s experiences, the ideas you adopted and the ways you process your feelings.

Your personality propels the decisions and the observations you are making.

But you are not limited in any way, and you do not have to continue being who you used to be.
You are truly and wholly free to make new and more joyful choices.

You can choose to experience and embody more light-filled ideas and new concepts.

You are never too old to learn something new, and never too old to embark on new adventures.

In fact, drop all the non-sense ideas about age all together!

It is your right to stop believing that you are a physical body, aging and bound for decay and death.

Your body is not physical.
Nothing is physical.
Everything is composed of energy in motion.

You are a divine energy field of light, intelligence and information.

Only in your limited vision do you see bodies, skin, hair, a certain height, a certain weight, a certain age.

It is not what a body really looks like at all.
Those who can see, see human auras, emotional fields, mental constructs, the subtle physical body and the colorful radiant light that emanates from a human being.

There is so much to see beyond skin, height, weight, age and hair….
Your aura carries different colors of light, based on your spiritual evolution at any stage of your life.

Beside your aura and your energy field, your seven chakras, the energy centers in your body, constantly pulsate and emanate different colors of light.

Being a spiritual being of light and energy, you are constantly creating who you are in relation to the world around you.

In every relationship, in every situation, you are making a choice of what and who you are, and who you want to be. You can dream a new dream, think a different thought, if you really want to change!

You may make your choices consciously, but you do so by your automatic reactions, by your behaviors, by your thoughts, and by the ideas that you believe in.

Life is not about tomorrow, it is about the present that you are living right now.

Life is about how you are currently molding your Energy!

This energy force goes forth to create all of your many possibilities.

Remember the concept of Kaizen, and aim for small but constant improvements in all areas of your life.

Learn something new every day about your spiritual, magnificent journey called life….

With light and love,
Tali