Kaizen approach:

In my handling with club or community (or anything really), sometimes my team or I reach a point we are too lazy or too afraid to pursue a goal. "It can't be done" or "it would take so much from us to achieve it" is something we come every day in contact with.

I use Kaizen approach: It is a Japanese word, "Kai" - change, "Zen" - better (sorry if my translation is not on the point, my Japanese is very, very slim), and this approach says - make a simple, embarrassly simple change on better, and stick with it. In time, all those little changes are going to accumulate in one big result. Here are real life examples: I want to exercise, but for some reason I can't to make myself go on running track in park, and it goes for years now. Kaizen: put your running shoes on, and stand in your apartment in them for five minutes. After some time, just stand on running track in park for five minutes in them. In time, it made results.

I want to start workout, but I can't get myself to go to the gym. Kaizen: every morning do 10 sit-ups in bed. No more. It is 20 seconds activity

I want to lose weight. I have to eat healthy but I can't do it. Kaizen: instead of four spoons of sugar in a coffee in the morning, put three. And only that.

I want to read a book. But it has 2000 pages, and I don't have time for such a commitment. I have time, but it sounds like a lot. Kaizen: each morning read two pages. Only that. I read a book in few weeks. Why? It was interesting, and after two pages I couldn't put it down

I want to build a huge castle. But I need 10.000 EUR for minifigs, as I want 10.000 minifigs. It can't be done. Kaizen: each day or week buy one minifig. When I had 100 minifigs, it was so much; and I saw the costs are mitigated trough good events; so I bought 400 more on Skaerbaek fan weekend, for 70e of a seller. Now I had 500. Then I bought 500 more from lugbulk - someone chosen minifigs, I always thought it will be too much money, but then I saw - I can afford it. Today, I have that 10.000 army, and I didn't felt it.

I have a huge scale diorama to build. 100 baseplates - it is so much, I don't have time. Kaizen: build one portion of one baseplate each day. In truth, I noticed I build four baseplates per week. I had everything done in 20 weeks. 2 months before huge event.

On a long run, these little changes in the way we do business, we do logistics, we do relationship made so much progress, and we found out it is possible to do really colossal projects

Here is a Wikipedia article on Kaizen (link) and a good video that I found on the topic (link), I recommend it, it is only 6 minute long, take a look (I don't know who made it). Hope this helps

Ivan Angeli