Insight | Quality tools help you and me pursue happiness in life

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There is a proverb that says, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” This proverb fails to convey another meaning: if the first step is taken incorrectly, it can lead to significant mistakes, pushing one further and further away from the goal. We all have dreams and aspirations. The quality of a life filled with missed opportunities and a life where dreams come true is clearly different. A Harris poll in 2013 showed that only one-third of Americans considered themselves happy. The life experiences of many people confirm this statistic; here are two examples: Many years ago, a student I was tutoring came to see me with tears in her eyes. She is in her first year of college, and the stress is driving her crazy. Her parents forced her to apply to the engineering department, but she felt that an engineering career was completely unsuitable for her. After starting college, she was very depressed and couldn’t find a purpose in life. Another example comes from my late uncle. I saw him a few times before he passed away. He said he regretted not having pursued his dreams. He said, “Gandhi had a famous saying: ‘Live as if you were going to die tomorrow.’” Studying* is as if you’ll live forever. ’And I only followed the first half. ” I know that within a business model, quality management can help improve product quality and achieve better results. So I reflected: “How can some principles of quality be applied to life to help you and me lead a more fulfilling life?” ”So, I tried to apply the concept of quality to my personal life. Inspired by the PDCA cycle of \"Plan-Do-Check-Act\" and the DMAIC process improvement method (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control), I have developed a framework that integrates psychology, neuroscience, lean management, theory of constraints, project management, and Six Sigma principles to help people lead more fulfilling lives. This framework can be called the “DO-MAGIC Rule of Achieving Miracles”. ““DO-MAGIC” is an abbreviation that stands for quality management methods such as Dream, Observe, Mindset, Analyze, Generate, Implement, and Check. Dreams. Everyone needs to have dreams; otherwise, life will be aimless and a waste of time, leading to regret. Discover your dreams and write them down clearly. Using vivid visuals to support visual management methods – this is the principle of lean management. Treat yourself as a customer, and treat your dreams as the voice of that customer. Observe. To remain objective, ask yourself, “Who has already achieved this dream?” Can they give me some guidance? Or what lessons can I learn from their mistakes? ”Determine whether your dreams are based on reality or merely \"delusions.\" For example, riding a bike to the moon is a dream, but it has no basis in reality. By redefining your dream, you can repeatedly examine the steps to achieve it. Once the belief is firmly established, it is essential to have a clear vision of the desired end state, and to calculate the expected costs and time frame. Mindset. To take “moving forward constantly” as one’s motto. Maintain a positive mindset, as it will help unleash your potential to the fullest extent, especially when you face challenges or progress is slow – a positive attitude is very useful in such situations. Consider asking someone who has worked on similar projects to be your mentor. Set phased goals and formulate successful measures during the implementation process. When the interim goals align well with the ultimate goal, you can stay on the right track and not deviate from the \"course\". During the progress, if you don’t have any mentor, consulting those with relevant knowledge can also be beneficial. Analysis. Through analysis, you can identify the gap between the current status and the interim goals. The analysis method not only clarifies the tasks to be carried out, but also helps identify shortcuts to achieving interim goals, as well as assist in estimating cost and time expenses. Create a roadmap. You must plan in detail the actions to take and the interim goals. It is far from enough to just list them. You also need to identify the connections and dependencies between these activities, so as to find other easier or alternative ways to achieve the goals. Through detailed planning, a clear roadmap gradually emerges, showing you how the various tasks will work together by the deadline you have set. Using the critical path analysis method (which is used to analyze the relationship networks in complex projects), or the Program Evaluation and Review Technique (a tool for project management), yields similar results. Once you have a clear roadmap for the implementation timeline and activities, you can use the \"risk analysis\" method or the \"failure mode and effects analysis\" method as you work toward each milestone, constantly asking yourself: \"Which step is likely to go wrong?\" ” Implement. The next task is to implement the activities listed in the roadmap one by one, continuously achieving interim goals. You will surely face new challenges and obstacles; don’t lose heart. Talk more with your mentor, and look back at the small achievements you’ve made along the way to maintain a high level of motivation. Check. As you get closer to your dream, you need a \"feedback loop\" to monitor progress and adjust direction. After achieving each milestone, while celebrating, one should also motivate oneself to maintain this positive momentum ； At the same time, control measures must be taken to consolidate the achievements of the victory. By applying the \"Law of Achieving Miracles,\" your life can achieve miracles through proactive choices rather than chance opportunities. “In the “Law of Achieving Miracles,” in addition to this C represented by check, there is another secret element that can help you achieve continuous success – and that is commitment. In other words, it involves having more dreams and persevering in using the “Law of Achieving Miracles.” It is hoped that readers will not only take action themselves but also teach others how to \"create miracles,\" helping them achieve their dreams and lead a higher-quality life. Source: China Certification and Accreditation Magazine/Originally published in Quality Progress; translated by Zhao Huan