Habits 2 Goals: The Habit Factor® Podcast With Martin Grunburg | Goal Achievement, Productivity & Success Simplified

“The deeper truth is we act from underlying values and hopes and dreams when we become fulfilled human beings..." Today's episode features an in-depth interview with Justin Brown, founder of Ideapod, whose mission is to provide ecosystems of thought around important ideas and to raise provocative questions that aim to inspire personal growth and group-think. Justin grew up in Melbourne and was on the academic fast-track with a Bachelor's in Commerce and a Master's in International Relations. He was then accepted into a paid scholarship program in Europe for another Master's degree, spending time in both Poland and London studying economic history. Then, after three years as a financial consultant, he was accepted to the Ph.D. program for International Political Economy at the University of Warwick, where Ideapod became a side project. Justin's vision was to share important ideas outside of academia, which, to him, appeared to be "trapped in academic silos." Justin quit his doctoral studies and moved to New Yo

“With any elite player, we see discipline, clarity and focus...specifically, what is the win? Then, there is a persistence, an energy, and a discipline with absolute accountability!" Today's episode features an interview with Holly Green, who uses brain science to coach executives in some of the world's best companies to be more effective. An experienced business leader and behavioral scientist, Holly's superpower is recognizing elite performers' patterns (habits) and then dissecting, translating, and applying them within the corporate arena. "Elite performers are playing to win, whereas most people are just going through their days, trying not to lose. There is a very big gap between those two things," Green explains. Holly has worked with elite performers including the United States Navy SEALs, Top Gun fighter pilots, Olympic athletes, senior NFL referees, the FBI Leadership Academy, and two United States presidents. In this interview, Martin and Holly review the key distinctions that drive elite performanc

“A good plan, violently executed now is better than a perfect plan tomorrow.” ~George Patton Ideas without execution are just dreams. Thus, our New Year mini-series ends with a few important thoughts about execution. To execute—to finalize ideas—to bring them to life is difficult and requires both consistency and persistence. The beauty is well executed ideas move from the realm of potential energy to kinetic energy. The act of execution actually releases energy and, in return, provides information. To execute anything requires an order of events—a process—that begins with selection. The order looks like this; selection, concentration, focus—consistent focus— habits. The prior episode about resilience was the ideal precursor to this episode on execution. Hopefully, you've completed the entire New Year mini-series and are putting the ideas into action! Enjoy the episode! As part of this New Year mini-series, be sure to identify which habits—three to five habits— you can begin to track and align to your goals t

“You really only fail if you fail to learn the lesson." Today's episode continues the New Year mini-series, RESILIENCE! Resilience may be the ultimate superpower! Resilience is the beautiful combination of persistence plus adaptability plus resourcefulness. In short, resilience is GRIT! It's possessing an openness and willingness to consistently grow and adapt. Those who tend to fail lack resilience. They give up. Charles Darwin put it this way, "It's not the strongest nor the smartest of species that survive but the most adaptable to change." Many people think their smarts alone will account for their success only to ultimately realize that they never adapted to their environment or challenges appropriately—they didn't evolve. MG refers to THIS blog post about GRIT and the habits that help to constitute a GRITTY and a resilient character. The key is to recognize any failure as part of a process to strengthen resilience then find ways to channel any challenges to meet desired objectives. So, how resilient are

“Plans are worthless, but planning is everything." ~Dwight D. Eisenhower Today's episode continues the New Year mini-series, PLANNING! What does Eisenhower mean when he says, "Plans are worthless"? Well, in and of themselves, plans don't do anything— it's PEOPLE who put plans into action. Thus, Eisenhower's powerful observation underscores the importance of executing and following through on our plans. Brian Tracy has said that for every one minute of planning we gain 10 minutes in effectiveness and productivity. The reality is it doesn't matter if it's two minutes or one-hundred minutes, the key is to take the time to plan. Make time now to begin planning as it relates to your most important goals for the new year. Have you taken the time to plan yet? Our New Year mini-series has covered a lot of ground: 1) Compiling mini-victories 2) Recognizing that you are the programmer 3) Getting your mental game in order by mitigating doubt and committing to tracking your habits 4) Clarity and now, 5) Planning! Set asi

“Visualization is the master skill of intent." Today's episode continues the New Year mini-series, CLARITY! If "beginning with the end in mind" works to make for a productive and successful day or week, you can bet it works to make for a productive and successful lifetime. Thus, the homework for each listener is to complete the various clarity exercises MG discusses. Brian Tracy likes to say that "Clarity probably accounts for eighty-percent of success and happiness while lack of clarity is responsible for the majority of frustration and unhappiness."  Recognizing that you are an extraordinary achievement machine means that you can, and should, with intention and effort, craft your ideal future and to do so, you must know what that ideal future looks like. Make the time NOW to get clear on your lifetime goals as well as your new year goals. The process is sure to bring immense value as well as add more meaning and direction to your present day activities. And, it will help you to identify the habits you must

“Your doubt about yourself and goal achievement is just a bullsh*t story you've bought into."  Today's episode continues our New Year mini-series, DO NOT PASS GO!, which simply means; It makes little sense to consume more info (podcasts, books, etc) and/or waste more energy and time pursing your goals and ideals if you cannot address these two important mindsets/questions in the affirmative: 1) Are you willing to track your habits? 2) Are you willing to suspend your doubts about your ability to achieve your most important goals and to simply trust THIS process? Doubting oneself is a natural phenomena. What's mildly astonishing is once people discover The Habit Factor® AND they realize it is a powerful, valid, helpful and proven method to follow, rather than pursue it, they then begin to doubt themselves. Thus, the important statement in the title of this episode: DO NOT PASS GO! Can you suspend your skepticism, doubt and forget your past failures? Can you commit to tracking your habits, first for 28 days and

“There is an expiration date on blaming your parents for steering you in the wrong direction; the moment you are old enough to take the wheel, responsibility lies with you." ~J. K. Rowling Today's episode continues our New Year series with Responsibility, which simply means; YOU are the programmer. Humans are remarkable achievement machines capable of  extraordinary results but only when the correct program is crafted (coded). To acquire new habits and skills, to forge an improved character, to become something different, we must write the program. Nobody else is going to write our program. The responsibility lies with us. The program we write, the habits we create is what creates the life we ultimately live. For many, their habits are crafted by default rather than by design. Others, who understand that The Habit Factor®—the force of habit— is always at work, intentionally craft the habits that will serve their ideals and goals. They program the code (habits) with intention, practice and deliberation. All gr

“Every great success is the culmination of a thousand tiny victories nobody ever notices or appreciates."~ Brian Tracy Nobody wins a game of chess in one move. Any victory in war is the result of several battles won. If your goal is to sail around the world, the attainment of that goal will involve many smaller wins/milestones along the way. As we prepare to kick off the 2021 New Year and identify our big goal, it's just as important—perhaps more important—to identify the small wins, the mini victories, along the way. This is precisely the philosophy and strategy that The Habit Factor® has taught from day one. By identifying the habits that will carry you toward your big goal, and attaining those daily "victories," the chances for your overall success increases dramatically. The homework for this episode, for new listeners especially, is to identify the habits that, when performed on your target days, will provide those mini-victories. These not only promote your confidence; they compile into tremendous momen

“Habit is either the best of servants or the worst of masters.” ~Nathanael Emmons One Saturday, driving to the office before a Habit Factor Group Challenge event, MG records this quick episode to underscore what seems to elude so many of us: that habit should be used as a tool, one that is consciously constructed, with practice, (following P.A.R.R.) to serve us unconsciously. This is what is meant by holistic thinking, rather than, "I don't believe in habit," as one "guru" put it to Martin, adding, "I only believe in mindfulness." That is both a noble and silly proposition. Habit isn't something one "believes" in. Habit isn't going anywhere, just like the moon isn't going anywhere. Thus, thinking holistically, one can intentionally cultivate the habits that will serve them unconsciously.  So, what habits are you making your servants? Enjoy the episode! How are you going to improve your results in 2021? Visit: https://thehabitfactor.com/challenge TEXT your toughest #habits and #goals questions and be eligible

"Unfortunately, we're all not going to be lucky enough to have a near-death experience." During a recent interview (which has yet to air) for another habit-related podcast, host Brian Conroy said something interesting: "You know, I don't mean to sound skeptical, but these other authors, what's interesting...is they've all had near-death experiences." While the interviewer's point was not lost, the message had a more meaningful application, thus MG's answer above. Since near-death experiences force us to ask the tough questions, the realization is that we should ALL be "lucky" enough to encounter them. However, this isn't likely to happen any time soon for most of us, so we'll have to do the next best thing: Use our creative imaginations and pretend we have almost died! Near death experiences lead us to ask reflective questions, such as, What has my life meant? What have I shared/given? What have I learned? What have I achieved and experienced in this life? Perhaps even better, "If we were to die tomorrow, wha

Q: How long should I be tracking my habits? A: How long do you plan on living? After a recent presentation to an entrepreneur group, the question came up, "How long should I be tracking my habits?" MG's response, "How long do you plan on living?" Coming on the heels of recent episodes, "Habit Tracking is for Humans" and "What are the Most Important Habits?" the realization is this; we should track the habits that help us achieve our most important goals, for the majority of our life.  Taking a page right out of Benjamin Franklin's autobiography, who, after nearly sixty years of tracking his habits (virtues), said of the practice, "though I never arrived at the perfection I desired... I was a better and happier man for the effort." Then, Ben concluded, "I hope, therefore, that my descendants shall follow the example (habit tracking) and reap the benefit." While tracking habits for the rest of your life may seem extreme, at first, it's efficacy has been proven time and again and has a profound effect not just o

"You cannot change your destiny overnight but you can change your destination." Why do we feel the urge to create new years resolutions? Why do we so often struggle to keep them. What is it about the end of a year that makes us reflect and assess our achievements? MG and Jen discuss, from their personal experience, a few key ideas about why we setup goals and then are unable to follow through. If you're thinking, "I've heard this before" chances are very good you haven't. Tune in and find out what makes all the difference to ensure your 2021 is the best year ever! Enjoy the episode! How are you going to improve your results in 2021? Visit: https://thehabitfactor.com/challenge TEXT your toughest #habits and #goals questions and be eligible for giveaways each week! 619-547-1915 *** New listeners: By texting the word "HABITS" to the mobile phone number "33444" you will instantly receive your "hack"/habit tracker/habit development template, or you can download it here: thehabitfactor.com/templates. Feel free to

"When it comes to habit development, humans can, and should, leverage their innate capacities of choice, intention and reflection." Today's Mind-Bullet is about why habit tracking is beneficial. AGAIN. After being interviewed for a habit-specific podcast recently, the host was left a bit befuddled as MG challenged much of what the host was told were "best practices" around habit development. At one point, the host mentioned that a habit expert and behavioral scientist had insisted that habit tracking was not a requirement or even a recommended practice, and that habit-tracking apps didn't work. The truth is, people do not need to track habits in order to develop them. Unfortunately, people forge habits all the time unintentionally, and regrettably, they are habits that do not serve their goals. It's worth considering that if habit-tracking apps didn't work so well, why would there be so many of them? And, nearly all of them have entered the app marketplace after The Habit Factor was introduced more than a dec

"If you can't explain it simply, you do not understand it." ~Einstein Today's Mind-Bullet investigates the significance of simplicity and its application in life. It's been said that simplicity is a symbol of sophistication and elegance, and many great thinkers have touted its importance. Consider Apple products and their legendary simplicity in design and use. Steve Jobs lauded simplicity many times, saying, "Simple can be harder than complex; you have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple." Allegedly, Leonardo Da Vinci said something similar: "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." Even if he didn't say it, it's tough to argue. Einstein reportedly echoed the sentiment, saying, "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." The message and theme is consistent and applicable to all aspects of our lives. In particular, we should strive for simplicity in thought—clarity—when setting goals and objectives. Success becomes easier with clarity, and clarity becomes easie

"A problem well stated is half solved." ~Charles Kettering Still time to jump into the LIVE, Five-Day, Get Unstuck Habit Factor Challenge! How are you going to improve your results in 2021? Visit: https://thehabitfactor.com/challenge Today's Mind-Bullet investigates the significance of questions. Arguably, a person's level of "success" may come down to the quality of the questions they ask themselves during their lifetime. For instance, everyone may say they want to be a "success," but how many take the time to define exactly what success means to them by asking themselves some hard, revealing questions? It's hard to hit a target you can't see. Questions direct our attention and our focus, as well as our emotions. When we put our attention and intention toward solving the problems that matter most in our life, we change our life's direction. Our ability to solve the toughest problems we face is in direct proportion to the quality of the questions we ask. Questions—great questions and their answers—produce va

"Creativity demands space, time and most of all energy." How are you going to improve your results in 2021? The Habit Factor® "5-Day Challenge" Begins this Thursday, November 12, 2020! Visit: https://thehabitfactor.com/challenge Today's Mind-Bullet investigates the requirements for a creative life! Since life tends to be a mass of problems, one after the other, it's essential to view creativity as problem solving in action. To be creative, one needs ample time and space, to both wander and wonder. Creativity, as we reviewed in a prior episode also requires an "empty" mind which provides the space necessary to receive and conceive of new ideas. Further, creativity demands energy! "When you devote time to your energy, your energy returns to you time." Thus, creativity is essential to a life well-lived and a requirement to create one's "success". To create your ideal future, you simply must constantly create! Enjoy the episode! How are you going to improve your results in 2021? The Habit Factor® "5-Day Challeng

"Learning Zen is a phenomenon of gold and dung. Before you understand it, it's like gold; after you understand it, it's like dung." ~Zen Saying The Habit Factor® "5-Day Challenge" Begins Thursday, November 12, 2020! Visit: https://thehabitfactor.com/challenge **TEXT your toughest #habits and #goals questions now to MG and be eligible for weekly prizes! 619-547-1915 GOLD and DUNG! Today's special episode is about gold and dung and what really makes the difference in a person's life. Enjoy! The Habit Factor® "5-Day Challenge" Begins Thursday, November 12, 2020! Visit: https://thehabitfactor.com/challenge **TEXT your toughest #habits and #goals questions now to MG and be eligible for weekly prizes! 619-547-1915 *** New listeners: By texting the word "HABITS" to the mobile phone number "33444" you will instantly receive your "hack"/habit tracker/habit development template, or you can download it here: thehabitfactor.com/templates. Feel free to share the episode and leave a review on iTunes!  Recommended in this e

"The extraordinary life demands extraordinary effort." The Habit Factor® "5-Day Challenge" Begins Wednesday, 11-12-20! Visit: https://thehabitfactor.com/challenge **It's twu, it's twu! TEXT MG direct your toughest #habits and #goals questions now: 619-547-1915 Extraordinary Adj: Very unusual or remarkable. Today's MBM sheds light on the idea that "different," "unusual," and "remarkable" not only define an extraordinary life, but also create the path to an extraordinary life. If you want to lead a life that is extraordinary, the only way possible is to do things differently. To be unusual. MG shares that when he added the above quote to the Habit Factor app, he wasn't entirely clear about the meaning of "extraordinary effort." Now, its core idea— it's theme—is crystal clear. For us to experience extraordinary results in our life, we must zig when other zag. We can't stay with the crowd and stand out from the crowd at the same time. To be remarkable suggests differentiation, NOT necessarily just working harder.

How does the behavior scale?  **NEW: Text MG direct your toughest #habits and #goals questions now: 619-547-1915 The Habit Factor® "5-Day Challenge" ENDS THIS WEDNESDAY 10-28-20! Because all exercises and live sessions are recorded, you can still sign up today: https://thehabitfactor.com/challenge Today's MBM brings us to the idea of compounding behaviors. It's fairly trendy to hear entrepreneurs talk about "scaling" their business, and about the importance of business models that will scale. If you can make a profit with 10 customers, it stands to reason you want to be able to get to 1,000 customers as effortlessly as possible. The right "model" will allows that, but the wrong one? Well, it will just create a nightmare, or in a best case scenario will be limited in its growth potential. When it comes to our behaviors, it's certainly worth asking some similar questions: "How does IT scale?" In other words, how does that one behavior scale? What will the compounding effects of that behavior be in a year, or ev