Dr. W. Edward Deming is thought to be the person most responsible for bringing the “quality” movement to Japan. He believed that the best way to make Japan a global economic powerhouse in the future was to encourage every person, company, and organization to commit to continually improving in small steps. Dr. Deming thought that small but steady improvements would eventually lead to big changes.
Tony Robbins was greatly influenced by the ideas of Dr. Deming, and years ago he developed a similar concept called “Constant and Endless Improvement”, better known as “CANI”.
In Japan, there is a term used to express the concept of “constant and endless improvement”.
– Kaizen. The word Kaizen is actually a combination of two words: Kai, which means change; and Zen, which means good. The idea is that improvements, however small, will lead to great achievements.
In Tony Robbins’ “Lessons in Mastery” series, he determined that he did not want to use the word Kaizen. It was a Japanese word, and he felt it was necessary to come up with a terminology that people in our culture could identify with. He thought it made sense to change the term, but keep the same fundamental meaning as Kaizen. Tony wanted people in the West to benefit from the message that was developed for Japanese culture.
Fundamentally, CANI is an attempt to address the problem of people who are so focused on the end goals they want to achieve that they feel quite overwhelmed. CANI tries to help people by giving them something that is easier to keep their attention on, namely small daily improvements. People should try to improve just one small aspect of their lives each day. Eventually, this must lead to big changes that you probably never thought possible.
How exactly does CANI offer people a way to achieve their goals?
First of all, you create momentum. Physics teaches us that it’s hard to get an object to start moving, but once it starts moving, it becomes hard to stop it. Once you start moving your life in a certain direction, it will be easier to keep it in that direction. In business, it will be hard for others to catch up as you have a head start and momentum that keeps you going.
The principle of momentum applies to all aspects of your life. For example, if you start moving towards happiness, it will be easier to become even happier.
Using the CANI principles will also lead to innovation. You will learn that you must find new ways to achieve your goals, and innovation will lead to greater improvement.
Tony Robbins has stated that “we only know our limits by going beyond them”. When you start by making small improvements and then see what big changes have come over time, you’ll understand that even bigger things can be accomplished. This will help you understand that you can go beyond what you once thought possible. When you realize this, you will understand the real power of CANI. Put your attention on the journey and you will eventually reach your destination.
