The Kaizen Mindset and Why Students Need It
Credit: Unsplash
What is Kaizen?
While Kaizen might not be a colloquial term, we Singaporeans are no stranger to what it stands for. Translated from Japanese, Kaizen refers to a philosophy of continuous improvement -- ‘kai’ meaning ‘change’ and ‘zen’ meaning ‘good’. It combines the belief of good improvement with the action of pursuing it, which is surely useful for our meritocratic society and its young members. Although the Kaizen approach is mainly employed in corporate environments, we can apply its philosophy to many areas of our life, especially learning.
Why Kaizen is useful for students.
As students, growing up is one of the main focuses in this life-stage. However, to grow well is a challenge. How then, can we equip our young, growing minds with the skills for success? The answer: Continuous improvement equals good continuous growth.
The spirit of self-improvement is not one to underestimate. Check out this short story from Dr. Marvin Marshall:
A woman having lunch at a small café was seated next to a family celebrating their son’s basketball game. Their conversation was so lively that the woman joined in. “You must have been on the winning team,” she said.
The kid grinned from ear to ear, “No, we lost by 20 points. The other team had a killer defense. We were only able to make one basket.”
“Did you make the basket?” she asked.
With his mouth filled with cake and ice cream, the boy shook his head, “No.”
His father reached across the table to give him a high five. His mother hugged him and said, “You were awesome.”
The woman at the next table rubbed her chin.
The boy looked at the confused woman and said, “At last week’s game, I took nine shots but they all fell short of the basket. This week I took eight shots and three of them hit the rim! Dad says I’m making progress.”
What does Marshall’s story tell us? Wins do not have to be conventional. If we focus on celebrating the small wins in our journey, not only will we feel happier, but we’ll also gain the momentum and motivation to excel. Plus, we will be less affected by the comparison of other students around us, which seems like a great way to avoid toxic, comparison-driven study culture.
How you can cultivate Kaizen.
Kaizen is all about making small changes that will have big long-term impacts. If you scored a grade higher, that’s awesome! If you didn’t make the same mistake twice, good for you! The point is, you don’t have to keep looking at the finish line, just concentrate on moving forward.
Remember, improvement always trumps perfection. In more ways than just ‘realistically speaking’, because who-in-the-world is perfect all the time right? Everyone has the potential to excel, as long as they are willing to make changes. Studying with a Kaizen mind, means having a never ending success story. Trust in the process, and let your hard work speak for itself.
