Writing By Kaizen

Sunday 8June08 3:47pm

An article that inspired the name of this blog is by Jennifer Lawler. The full article by Seeking Perfection: What it is... and isn't. is on her webpage.

Since I don't do any martial arts, I like the thought of applying the concept to life as a whole and writing in particular.

My favorite quotes from Jennifer's article are:

" ... In the martial arts, you train because you are a warrior. That’s what warriors do. And they do it because they’re warriors. That’s the only reason they have to have."

Notes in my writing notebook based on Jennifer's article:
- begin to train/write/sing because it feels good to train/write/sing. That's all
- master the techniques. Do it well for the sake of doing it well.
- choose to master writing because it is the one thing I could happily spend my life trying to perfect. Knowing I never would, but happy to try.

"The idea of training just to train, of doing something for its own sake, is called kaizen in Japanese martial arts. It’s related to – although independent of – the concept of bushido, which is the ideal of the warrior, the way the warrior lives. Making kaizen and bushido a part of my life has been an ongoing experiment – and experience. Like most of us, I constantly struggle to balance all the demands on my time and the expectations – spoken and unspoken – that people (including me) have for me. But I am aided by my belief that the way of mastery will guide me in the direction I need to go, and I never stray from the path for very long or very far."

Notes in my writing notebook based on Jennifer's article:
- to truly succeed, train/write/ sing even if there are no rewards for training/ writing/ singing, even if you're worse today than you were yesterday.
- when you pursue mastery in the spirit of kaizen, you think of each day as a clean slate, each moment as an opportunity to try again.
- what matters is whether you're trying to be a better writer today than you were yesterday.

"In fact, living by kaizen creates a life filled with pleasure, validation that comes from within (and doesn’t depend on outside sources subject to whims), a life that feels more fulfilling and rewarding.

Moving towards perfection means deciding to care for your body as well as you can today, and then tomorrow and then the next day. It is about the process, not the end result. Each day, the attempt should feel good. You got enough rest for once; you meditated after work and that helped you feel relaxed; you had fresh-squeezed orange juice for breakfast and that felt nourishing. You’re taking care of yourself. It doesn’t matter if you ever fit into that size four. That is not the point.

Moving towards perfection requires

Focusing
Living mindfully
Slowing down"