Kaizen and Misogi
If the words in the title seem like they are from a different language, it is because they are. These two concepts best describe things I implemented in my life long before I knew there were words for them. They have exponentially improved my life, and I now intentionally plan around both of them.
Kaizen is a Japanese philosophy that translates to "change for the better" or "continuous improvement." It centers on the idea that small, incremental, and consistent changes over time yield significant long-term benefits in productivity, efficiency, and quality.
Misogi is an ancient ritual referring to an annual, highly challenging endeavor meant to push your limits and foster resilience. Put simply, it means doing something big each year that scares you.
I applied the kaizen concept in my life throughout the last seven to nine years, somewhat unknowingly. I began consuming self-development and faith-driven podcasts and books. I began creating habits to improve my mind, faith, health, and overall wellness. These small, incremental improvements over time have truly helped me rest in the fact that I am not wasting time and am actively growing in some way. The days I have felt apathetic, unmotivated, or depressed can almost always be traced back to not seeking some kind of improvement over a period of time.
I then began setting a goal each year that genuinely scares me. The first one I remember was a Spartan Race. Later it was starting a Bible study, then joining a Jiu-Jitsu gym, then writing a book. This most recent year actually had two: running a 50k and speaking at a Texas school principals conference.
This concept creates tangible moments you can look back on knowing you conquered something you once feared or thought was impossible. The satisfaction and growth that come from facing things that scare you are almost indescribable. The anticipation before, the moment itself, and the reflection afterward all add value to your time on earth. They give substance to your days.
Think about all the days, potentially years, in your life that you cannot remember or recall. Misogi helps combat this. It gives us timestamps and moments that will be ingrained in our memories. The race may give you a medal that gets shoved into a junk drawer, or a book that does not sell, but it gives intrinsic value — a sense of accomplishment and a memory anchored to your allotted days.
I have already planned my next misogi goal. I am actually nervous even stating it in this letter, whether from fear of failure or fear of perception. But that is exactly the point. The pit in my stomach and the nervous, anxious thoughts of wondering whether I can do what it takes…. that is precisely what makes this concept so profound. (You’ll see a hint of it at the bottom of this newsletter)
Structuring your life around these concepts can truly change things. Daily, continual improvement, even very small, compounds significantly over time. Think of it like compound interest. Some of the areas I would recommend starting in do not require changing much at all. Instead of music on the way to work, try a podcast or audiobook. Instead of scrolling at night, try writing three to five sentences in a journal. Swap out sugary drinks, go for walks, or commit to ten to fifteen minutes of physical training a day. Subscribe to a daily newsletter or biblical devotional. The concept is not to do all of these at once, it is to pick one, start small, and stay consistent. Simple and repeatable always beats ambitious and short-lived.
Creating a goal that pushes you out of your comfort zone and forces you to confront a specific fear has immense value. And it does not have to be extreme at first. It could be joining a book club, committing to a 5k, writing a letter to a friend, or starting a social media channel. The key is that it is something that has been on your mind and makes you nervous to commit to. Then commit. Watch what grows in the process, and find gratification in simply attempting it.
These concepts allow us to combat a life that may be missing substance and meaningful memories. But they can do even more than that. Once I applied them directly to my faith, the results were much more different and much more meaningful. The improvement was not just finite personal work, it became eternal Kingdom work.
A Biblical Perspective
Kaizen, reframed in biblical terms, is not really about self-improvement as much as it is about alignment with God's will and genuine transformation. It is the renewing of the mind, the growing of faith, and the ongoing process of becoming less like ourselves and more like Jesus. I touched on this in a previous newsletter but will go a little deeper here.
I find it fascinating when science catches up to the Bible. Lately, psychology and neuroscience have become increasingly prominent in popular culture. Stanford professor, podcaster, and neuroscientist Andrew Huberman has taken over the self-development world, often discussing neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is your brain's ability to change and rewire itself based on what you do, think, and experience. Every time you repeat a thought, habit, or practice, you are slightly strengthening certain neural connections and weakening others. Do something often enough, in a focused and genuine way, and your brain physically reorganizes around it, making that thought or behavior easier and more natural over time.
That is really the whole concept: your brain is not fixed. It is shaped by repetition. Kaizen is the idea of repeated small habits designed for improvement.
The Bible specifically speaks to self-control, discipline, and consistent habits as the means by which our faith grows. Most are not grand gestures but small, daily practices. Prayer, giving thanks, resting, reading the Word. These small acts, if consistently practiced, will compound and grow your faith exponentially over time.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 states: "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." Truly practicing these three things in everyday moments rewires your mind. When you build the habit of going to them in the small things, it becomes far easier to go to them in the bigger things. Faith grows in the small, repeated things we do every single day.
Psalm 1:2-3 echoes this: "But whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night..." Meditating on the Word day and night will grow our faith and, as neuroscience now confirms, physically alter the way our minds are wired in the process.
The science, the Japanese philosophy, and the Bible all arrive at the same conclusion: small, consistent habits create significant change over time.
On the other side of the spectrum is the big, singular event captured by misogi. In its original form, it involved plunging into icy rivers or standing beneath cold waterfalls for spiritual cleansing. I am bending the concept somewhat. The idea, as I am applying it, is to identify a task that genuinely scares you in your faith, commit to it, and complete it.
"Where is your fear? That is where your faith will grow the most."
The goal is to crush fear through willpower and systems alone, but through faith. The whole concept of faith is believing in what cannot be seen. Choosing to trust God's infinite wisdom through his Word over our very finite knowledge and emotions, which can be so easily manipulated.
A famous quote comes to mind on the topic. Corrie ten Boom stated "Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God” This quote hits harder when her story is revealed. She was a Dutch Christian who bravely hid hundreds of Jewish people in her Haarlem home to protect them from the Nazis during WWII. Betrayed and sent to a concentration camp, she survived to become a global speaker known for her profound message of forgiveness. Scripture returns to this theme constantly. I am definitely not comparing any of the work I have done to Corrie’s but to provide better example of faith over fear.
The command to not be afraid, in all its variations "fear not," "do not be dismayed," "take courage," "do not worry" appears over 300 times throughout the Old and New Testaments. I remember the first time I encountered that statistic and thought: if God felt the need to say it that many times, he clearly knew how prone we would be to ignoring it. It is not a suggestion tucked into the margins. It is one of the most repeated commands in all of Scripture.
2 Timothy 1:7 tells us: "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." This means that when we are operating in fear, particularly in our faith, it is likely not from God. And if it is not from God, we know exactly where it is from.
Proverbs 28:1 puts it plainly: "The wicked flee though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion." Boldness is not the absence of fear. It is the decision to move forward anyway, anchored in the confidence of who God is and what he has already done. Misogi, at its core, is the practice of choosing that boldness on purpose, scheduling it, committing to it, and refusing to let fear make the decision for you.
Fear has only produced negative outcomes in my own faith. It makes me anxious, sad, and even depressed when I give into it over time. It steals my joy, kills opportunities to advance the kingdom, and slowly destroys me from the inside out. John 10:10 would suggest this is exactly what the enemy intends.
So misogi, for me, is a direct offensive strategy against that. Intentionally putting something on the calendar that makes you anxious or fearful is a direct attack on the enemy. It could be starting a Bible study, joining a life group, going on a mission trip, attending a conference, or writing a letter to a family member you have been meaning to reach.
If you have felt an unexplainable pull toward something like this but then found yourself growing anxious, nervous, or afraid… and then found reasons not to follow throug… you may be operating in a spirit of fear. Take that seriously. Anxiety and fear rooted in the things of this world are not from God. They are tools the enemy uses to hurt you and limit what God wants to do through you.
I have never once regretted doing something that scared me, in my personal life or in my faith. More often than not, I found that what I feared was irrational or simply untrue. But I have almost always regretted not doing the thing I was afraid of.
Here is the bottom line. We have a mission on earth. We are here to advance God's kingdom and spread the hope and good news of Jesus. The two most effective methods I have found for that mission are small daily habits that strengthen my mind and grow my faith, combined with intentionally planning big, scary events that force me to confront fear head-on. Not only has this produced fruit in the kingdom — it has been more fulfilling than anything the world has ever offered me.
Until next time,
Cam
(Also, here is the precursor to my next misogi endeavor.)
It’s not good relative to what is already on the podcast platforms. But I feared a lot before posting this and know it will take consistent habits to keep improving. Wish me luck!