How to improve continuously?

People fear what they do not understand. It’s a proven fact for the majority of people who do not understand the scientific reasoning behind it. Amygdala is part of the brain that is responsible for anxiety and fear. Amygdala fires fear whenever you are on to something which is totally unknown or against your will. If you step into a new place, meet a new person, or do something new, your amygdala fires a response of fear so that you do the necessary things to make sure you feel comfortable.  

Okay, got it. What does that have to do with continuous improvement? When human beings continue to do what they do as a routine, they fall into something called a comfort zone. The Comfort zone is where innovations crumble, improvements stumble, and eventually a place where nothing new comes out. People continue to think that continuous improvement means constant improvement and so their amygdala fires a fear response whenever they think of changing or innovating something new. It is because innovating something new or changing the ways you do something, requires you out of your comfort zone. That is why people who overcome their fear and who overcome their inner resistance to innovate or change the way they usually do things move forward.  

How to overcome this amygdala stuff if this is all-natural? Continuous improvement is not about going big which requires more resources. It is advised to start small and keep that as a routine and it will eventually become a habit. Let us take the example of someone who wants to become a sportsperson. It can be athletic or a sport. You cannot wake up one fine morning and become what you want. You must start small and keep increasing the pace. If you want to run a marathon, you start with whatever you can, you sustain that, and you keep increasing slowly till you reach your goal. Starting it is the key, then you sustain it and then you keep pushing as slowly and small as you can.  

Continuous improvement is not about going big all at once as your brain cortex will stimulate fear and of course some anxiety. Take small steps, keep constant checks, introspect and retrospect, change, and allow yourself to grow. Small steps are what is necessary when it comes to continuous improvement. You trick your very own brain into allowing yourself to grow. 

Let us take an example of a person who is a chain smoker and wishes to quit smoking. Quitting suddenly will result in negative results as you cannot sustain. Take small steps of avoiding the chances of smoking in a day, sustain it every single day, and find more ways to quit smoking. Small steps will give you more impact and help you improve continuously.