When you have cultivated a deep sense of faith in your abilities and
an indomitable spirit, nothing can stop you from succeeding in all
your pursuits and living with great rewards. Taking the time to
master your mind, to care for the body and to nourish your soul
will put you in a position to develop more richness and vitality in
your life. It is as Epictetus said so many years ago: 'No man is free
who is not a master of himself.'"
"So kaizen is actually a very practical concept."
"Very. Think about it, John. How could a person possibly lead
a corporation if he cannot even lead himself? How could you
nurture a family if you haven't learned to nurture and care for
yourself? How could you possibly do good if you don't even feel
good? Do you see my point?"
I nodded in full agreement. This was the first time I had given
any serious thought to the importance of improving myself. I had
always thought that all those people I would see on the subway
reading books with titles like The Power of Positive Thinking or
MegaLiving! were troubled souls desperate for some form of
medicine to get them back on course. Now I realized that those
who took the time to strengthen themselves were the strongest
and that it was only through improving one's self that one could
ever hope to improve the lot of others. I then started to reflect on
all the things I could improve. I really could use the added energy
and good health that exercising would surely bring. Ridding
myself of my nasty temper and my habit of interrupting others
might do wonders for my relationship with my wife and kids. And
erasing my worry habit would give me the peace of mind and deep
happiness I had been searching for. The more I thought about it,
the more potential improvements I saw.
As I started to see all the positive things that would flood into