Kaizen & The Olympic Torch Relay

The Olympic torch began its relay over ten weeks ago (at the time of this post), on November 26, 2025, in Olympia Greece.  It is now in the final stage of its 12,000-kilometer route, having passed through 60 Italian cities and all twenty of its regions, plus 36 Greek cities on the first nine-days of its journey.  I was lucky enough to have had a front row view, not only of its trek, but of the flame’s passing from torch to torch—person to person.  It was the truest reminder that we humans can make astonishing, seemingly impossible, progress simply by taking one step at time.

It is the perfect example of the Japanese term “kaizen.”  

(You thought this was going to be a post about the Olympics or Italy didn’t you?  So did I.  But I’ve been sending lots of people to Japan lately.  And mine isn’t a brand simply about travel.  It’s also about wellness and sustainability. Which is a great segue back to kaizen.)

“Kaizen” is a Japanese word that can be translated to mean “improvement” or “change for the better.” The two parts that make up the word are “kai” meaning “improvement,” “triumph” or “harmony” and “zen” meaning “meditation” or in this case a combination of  “concentration” and “benefit.”  It is the concept that employing small, bite-sized amounts of consistent practice is the surest path to veritable and sizable change for good.  You’ve heard it before in the fable of the tortoise and the hare or when someone advises, “baby steps…” (and just trails off).

As someone who always sought the thrill of victory, brought about by big goals and hopeful wins (and who was too oft beaten down by the agony of defeat), I am only now, in the second semester of my life, understanding the value of incremental progress and consistency.

Kaizen can be applied to anything and everything.

Sustainability—forgo that one plastic bag or bottle, sit at a café for five minutes instead of taking your coffee to go, unplug the plug, every day.

Fitness—add three more minutes to your run/walk, add five squats/five pushups, every day.

Wellness—add one walnut, take three deep breaths, meditate for five minutes, every day.

Learning—write down five Renaissance artists, conjugate one verb in another language, study a foreign religion for 10 minutes, every day.

Screen time, social media, finance, family, friendships, time in nature, creative pursuits…whatever it is you want to change, add, remove, or work towards/on/away from in your life, the practice of kaizen will get you there. Too often, if we don’t start small, we don’t start at all.  Or we spend too much time plotting and planning and not just doing (the thing), with regularity. Or we seek the shortest path or the one of least resistance. But without friction, there is no fire. Without the odyssey there is no experience. Sure, the Olympic torch could have been flown from Athens to Milan and Cortina today with a two and a half hour flight. But what would have been the glory in that? What would that torch have seen? And who would have seen it; felt it’s palpable excitement and warmth; been brought together by its aspiration and ambition?

Today, February 6, 2026, with about 220 miles between them, the Olympic cauldrons will be lit in at the Arco della Pace (the Arc of Peace) in Milan and Piazza Dibona in Cortina d’Ampezzo, simultaneously—the first such event in Olympic history.  Those flames are a fire of hope, connection, resilience, and triumph.  The games bring together humans from many different countries, cultures, religions, histories…yet these athletes, their families, and their fans are connected by one common thread—consistency, dedication, practice.  They made it to the Olympics…

one

step

at a time.

Whatever your own personal goal is, I encourage you to start small, but start now.  Tomorrow, do it again. And the next day, and the next.  Do it even when you are feeling tired or uninspired.  Do it even when you are on vacation or traveling for work.  A key component to the practice of kaizen is to (as Nike so succinctly put it) “Just Do It.”

Just do it. Rinse and repeat. Rest and rise. That is how a flame travels 7,500 miles in 63 days. That is how you go for the gold.