Hello {{ First Name | Viewer }},
One of the best feelings is realizing you are getting better at a thing you struggled with. To want to get better, is a win. Keeping that desire through the stages of life — is a mindset worth having. To close out February, here’s another thing I love ♥️ 3/3: Mastery of self and skill(s).
In edition #129, how small wins helps you get better everyday.
👇 CHECK IT OUT
🎥 Follow: OVERMAN RUNS 48 MILES IN 48 HOURS (THIS WEEKEND)
👀 Edition #117: IKIGAI “YOUR WHY ♥️”
👏 Support: Thank You for Supporting the Newsletter (Click The Ads 🙏!)
💪 Exclusive Offer: Get Spring Ready 🌼—work with Coach DC
LAST WEEK 📊
🚧 What’s Your Biggest Obstacle to Running?
⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ ⏰ Not enough time
⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ ❄️ Weather (too unpredictable) 🥵
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🦵 Injury or pain
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🧠 Motivation/discipline
Out of the four options above, motivation/discipline seems to be the tallest order to overcome. With time, injuries fade, and with practice, pain disappears. To override a lack of motivation or discipline, you have to get out and just run. Set a schedule (e.g., 1x per week for 20 minutes). Go from there 🏃♂️!
Thanks for the Support James 🙌🏾
THIS WEEK’S 🧐
Which 1% change feels most realistic this week?
👁️ OVE’S GUIDE TO
KAIZEN
1% Better, Every Day
You don’t become elite in one leap. You refine.
Before Kaizen became a productivity trend in Japan 🇯🇵, it was a survival system (after WW2) — cultural, industrial, and deeply human.
🏯 The Origins of Kaizen 🇯🇵
Kaizen (改善) means:
改 = change
善 = good
“Change for the better.”
1️⃣ Cultural Roots (Before Industry)
Long before factories, Japan prized lifelong mastery:
Swordsmiths refining blades for decades 🗡️
Tea masters perfecting rituals 🫖
Carpenters adjusting technique millimetre by millimetre 📏
Improvement wasn’t dramatic. It was devotional.
2️⃣ Post-War Japan (1940s–1950s)
After WWII, Japan had:
Limited resources 🚧
Fragile infrastructure 🌆
No margin for waste 🙂↔️
Large risky changes were impossible.
So they built something smarter: continuous small improvements.
3️⃣ Industrial Kaizen
The philosophy became globally visible through
Toyota and the Toyota Production System:
Workers could stop the line 🚘
Problems were fixed immediately 💡
Small fixes accumulated into world-class quality 🥇
Kaizen wasn’t hype.
It is discipline.
🔁 The Core Mechanism: PDCA
Kaizen often follows the Plan–Do–Check–Act cycle:
Plan – Identify one small improvement 📊
Do – Test it 🏃♂️
Check – Measure the effect 🧾
Act – Keep, refine, or remove 👌
Repeat. Quietly. Consistently.
🧠 Kaizen vs Western Thinking
Western improvement:
Big goals 🌎
Motivation-driven
All-or-nothing
Kaizen:
Tiny adjustments
System-driven
Momentum over intensity 🚂
If it feels impressive, it’s probably too big.
🔍 What 1% Better Actually Looks Like
🧠 Mind
Write one sentence
Take one slow breath before opening your phone
Replace “I should” with “Next step is…”
🫀 Body
Add 1 rep
Walk 5 extra minutes (400–500 m / 0.25–0.3 miles)
Drink one extra glass of water (8 oz / 237 ml)
🍽️ Nutrition
Add one fruit or vegetable
Stop two bites earlier
Eat protein first
🧍🏾♂️ Training
Improve one cue (brace, breath, stance)
Rest 30 seconds longer
Film one set for form
💻 Work
Open the task (don’t finish it)
Rename one messy file
Clear one surface
Small. Repeatable. Sustainable.
You don’t rise to your motivation.
You fall to your systems. Kaizen makes sure even the fall moves you forward.
🧠 MINDFUL SESSION
KAIZEN CHALLENGE
Big change doesn’t require big energy — it requires small consistency. This 7-day Kaizen Challenge is designed to lower the bar so much that improvement becomes inevitable.
🧪 7-Day Kaizen Challenge
Time: 2–5 minutes daily
Rule: Miss a day? Resume immediately.
Day 1 – Shrink the Task 📉
Make one avoided task 10× smaller.
One push-up. One sentence. One email draft.
Day 2 – Improve the Start ⏱️
Change only the first 30 seconds.
Shoes on. Notebook open. Warm-up only.
Day 3 – Remove Friction 🙅🏻♀️
Lay out clothes.
Fill the bottle.
Pin the document.
Day 4 – Add an Anchor ⚓️
After brushing teeth → 5 squats
After coffee → 1 minute planning
After training → 1 stretch
Day 5 – Improve Quality ✨
Same effort. Better execution.
Slower reps. Better posture. Fewer tabs.
Day 6 – Reduce ⬇️
One less scroll.
One less notification.
One less snack.
Day 7 – Reflect (2 minutes) 📓
What felt easiest?
What stuck?
What repeats next week?
No dramatic conclusions.
Proudly presented by Train With Overman 👁️
You’re why I spend hours researching and crafting these editions so you can read more OVE’s Guide and improve your health at least 1% each day.
Until Next Edition,
Coach DC
OVE’S GUIDE 👁️
How would you rate this week's newsletter?
The information in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and may not be appropriate or applicable based on your circumstances. Overman Perspective Inc. does not provide medical or licensed advice. Please get in touch with your healthcare professional for medical advice specific to your health needs.