Kaizen! Change Your Mind, Change Your Body

Kaizen!  Change Your Mind, Change Your Body

A long standing debate has existed as to which plays a bigger role in defining a person’s ability to change their life, the body or the mind.  One thing can be said with certainty about this debate… the most powerful changes will come when a person decides to improve both at the same time.

As a Doctor of Chiropractic I work with people that, to varying degrees, want to change their body and their life but have trouble doing so.  I have seen many people succeed, and I have seen many people fail.  Some people will change as long as it doesn’t take too much time or too much effort while others will invest everything and endure anything.  In all cases, I have found that people get what they deserve.  When it comes to changing our lives, the results we experience are a direct by-product of the effort we put forth. 

To those people who truly want to change their physiology, change their psychology, and ultimately change their life… This newsletter is for you!

After many years of treating the human condition I have come to the realization that to truly change our lives and live at our full potential, we must focus on improving BOTH the mind and the body – at the same time.  When you change the mind you change the way the body works, and vice versa. 

Remember the word Kaizen, from last week’s newsletter?  Kaizen is Japanese for “continuous change for the better”.  When we apply kaizen on a daily basis to both the mind and the body – amazing things can happen in a very short period of time.  We can literally transform our life!  However, results are slow to come and motivation is quickly lost if we only focus on feeding the body and not the mind.  This is what we call The Kaizen Connection between physiology and psychology. 

For example, the recovery rate for many cancer patients is not only dependent on how the body is treated, but is largely dependent on how the mind is treated as well.  In short, a person that routinely promotes an unhealthy psychological state i.e. is skeptical, doubtful, negative, and hopeless will not see big positive changes in their body, their health or their life.  But, a person that routinely promotes a healthy psychological state i.e. is optimistic, faithful, positive and full of hope will see the changes they deserve.  We all know people that would fit into either category.  More importantly, what type of person do we want to be?

So, how can we put the power of Kaizen Psychology to work for us?  Define what makes you happy, hopeful, faithful, positive, inspired, creative, and energized.  I suggest something in the book, audio or video realm due to ease of use.  What can you feed your brain and your mind in small, daily doses that will help create a healthier psychological state?  With a little planning this is very easy, and yet so important!

One part of my routine for creating a Kaizen Mind is to listen to various inspirational speakers as I prepare for the day.  I have an audio or video cued up and ready to go as I step out of the shower.  I consistently feed my mind what it needs to grow and change.  Some of my favorites are Joel Osteen, Tony Robbins, John Demartini, and Wayne Dyer.  A dose of 20-30 minutes of inspiration may be just the “medicine” you need.  Try implementing this simple strategy for yourself.  You might be surprised where it takes you.

By creating a daily kaizen routine we can easily create change in our lives.  By creating change we create success, and by routinely creating success in our lives we inevitably create the future we deserve.

Yours in Health and ON PURPOSE,

Dr. Craig Burns

Read the 2nd Page: "What is the Underlying Cause of Seasonal Allergies?"