The True Story behind the Story—From Junk to Best in the World

At the end of the Second World War, "Made in Japan" was synonymous with "This is junk!"

Today the most frequently purchased cars in the United States are Japanese, especially Toyota.

What happened in these seventy-plus years?

The American Americans Did Not Want To Listen To

General MacArthur at the end of the war had unlimited power in Japan. He brought to Japan an American quality expert W. Edward Deming who was not very well received in the USA. Deming taught the Japanese Kaizen, i.e. continuous improvement.

Kaizen – continuous small improvement – involved everyone from CEO to the newest line worker.

And it worked. As stated, "Made in Japan" immediately after the Second World War meant, "Avoid; this is junk!" Today the Japanese auto industry is number one in the United States.

What This Means to You

Secret 9 said "Imitate the Champions." You can continue to do this with Secret 9½. Consider most sports champions—tennis, golf, football, etc. Once they are champions, they, with the help of their coach, have a well-developed plan to stay champions.

Once you are applying the 9 Secrets, you need a well-developed plan to continue improving each day, getting the most from your time and life, and building on your productivity and life fulfillment.

Why the Half?

Many people ask, "Why the 9½?" To be honest there are two reasons. The first reason relates to continuous improvement and the fraction. An integer, 1, 2, 3 etc. represent a whole. A fraction indicates something is missing. What is missing here? Your continuous improvement—a small bit each day. Those who believe when all 9 Secrets are implemented they have it all, miss the fact that we can always get a little better. And the person who quits growing is dying.

The second reason for the ½ is an attention getter. Were you one of the many who asked the question "Why the ½?"

Problem/Challenge of this Blog: Slipping Back into Old Ways

It is a fact of life with most skills—and the way you use your time is a skill—if you are not growing and improving, you are slipping back. That is why the champions all have a well-developed plan to stay a champion, i.e. to continue growing, getting better each day.

Benefit of this Blog: Continuous Improvement as a Champion

When you have a well-developed plan for regular continued growth you will continuously improve as a champion.

Suggestion: An Easy, Complete Method to a Well-Developed Plan

Review the assessment in Secret 8 Blog 9, and take the appropriate action.

What part of this do you find useful or have a question about? Contact me to let me know!