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

This question comes via Quora.com and Martin has a link at the bottom to the entire post/response (partially posted here). In this episode Martin reads his response and adds a little color along the way shares his experience teaching "Success Skills" for C.L.A.S.S. Corporate Leaders Advocating Success Skills (volunteer instructor for Junior Achievement) at some of San Diego's more impoverished neighborhoods. Martin changes the definition of "success" as provided by the curriculum and teaches a slightly different definition. Then he shares some thoughts about just what the OPPOSITE of success might be if it isn't failure. MG's answer on quora.com: I really like this question. From my experience I've found "success" to be a very enigmatic concept/subject which I'm sure explains why so many of us struggle with it. The SHORT ANSWER to your question: It is going to be difficult if not impossible, (as evidenced by your question) to find success without a desireable destination, target or goal. So, do you have any

"At the end of the day, I'm inthe business of helping as many entrepreneurs as I can. So, if Ican reach more people outside of San Diego with the messaging thatI have then it's a win/win all around." ~Henry EvansAs a VP of a software salescompany, Henry Evans found himself,as he describes it, "caught upin the rat race". When excessive travel finally became too plus theday he realized he was going to miss his daughter's kindergartenrecital it became too much.Henry believed that if he couldjust dedicate an hour a day to his other passion pursuits / a newcompany a new career could evolve.Since then Henry has gone on tobuild a successful career and helps (locally) hundreds of San Diegoentrepreneurs who drive from near and far to attend hisentrepreneur-marketing workshops. Recently, Henry started to"live-feed" these meeting to share the lessons to entrepreneursanywhere in the world eager to learn!Martin and Henrydiscuss:-the birth of Hour a DayEntrepreneur-Henry's bestselling book onAmazon, The Hour A Day Entrepre

"I hope, therefore, thatsome of my descendants mayfollow the example and reap the benefit." ~BenjaminFranklinWhen it comes to personaldevelopment very few know that the great grandfather or the great,great grandfather of PD isBenjamin Franklin.It's hard to find a moreprolific American than Benjamin Franklin yet most people don't knowthat at a young age Ben believed himself to be abrasive, brash andargumentative and wrote about this in hisautobiography.He outlined thirteen virtues hehoped to assume as he matured. He was determined to start trackingeach virtue, one per week, and would move to the next virtuerotating through all thirteen throughout the course of eachyear.1. Temperance.2. Silence.3. Order.4. Resolution.5. Frugality.6. INDUSTRY.7. Sincerity.8. Justice.9. Moderation.10. Cleanliness.11. Tranquillity.12. Chastity.13. Humility.YES! The path to virtueis via HABIT and this story got Martin thinking a lotabout the similarity of tracking habits to achieve goals and Ben'sprocess of tracking habits to devel

"How can emotions(positive or negative) help you develop habits to bring success inyour endeavors?This episode starts with Martinaddressing the negative relationship first; illustrating how theemotion of ANGER often triggers all sorts of habitualbehaviors. In fact, a great Epictetus quotenotes this: "Whenever you are angry, be assured that it is not onlya present evil, but that you have increased a habit."When you consider how you mightreact when you are really angry you may even be able to trace muchof your behavior back to your parents and how they reacted whenthey were angryWhen it comes to "success" andour goals the beauty is that the inverse is true as well. Channeledpositively and intentionally our emotions can guide our behaviorsand habits. Martin shares how for example, the REGRET emotion wasthe "birthplace" for The Habit Factor (book, app, podcast, etc— allproduced via behaviors/habits guided by emotion.By asking himself,"What would I most regret not achieving or experiencingif I died tomorrow?"That

"I was just doing it for myself. I was coming out of a break upand I had just quit my job and I was in a place of pain... it was abroken-hearted pain and a lost pain... I didn't know what I wasdoing..."If you know a young man ages 20- 45ish... Andrew Ferebee is the guyhe should know and Knowledge For Men is the blog and podcast heshould subscribe to!That "pain" was the impetus that launched Knowledge For Men. AndrewFerebee was grappling with extreme personal challenges and at theage of twenty-four began his blog as a way to help him sort out hisissues, vent, pose some big life questions and at the same timeshare his journey.Andrew became an avid personal development student, devouringhundreds of self help books, going to events and as he wrote aboutand shared what he learned his blog grew rapidly in popularity!Less than a year into his endeavor he had 700,000 views per monthand recognized his struggle was resonating with thousands of youngmen around the world.Today, his podcast, Knowledge For Men has over 2.4

What thoughts are you choosing andencouraging?"This little volume (the result of meditationand experience) is not intended as an exhaustive treatise on themuch-written upon subject of the power of thought. It is suggestiverather than explanatory, its object being to stimulate men andwomen to the discovery and perception of the truth that - They themselves are makers of themselvesby virtue of the thoughts which they choose and encourage; thatmind is the master-weaver, both of the inner garment of characterand the outer garment of circumstance, and that, as they may havehitherto woven in ignorance and pain they may now weave inenlightenment and happiness." As a ManThinketh, ~James AllenMartin kicks off this episode with a quick readof the above foreword by James Allen and then breaks down some ofthe main ideas, sharing his experience as it relates to Allen'sopening insights."Mind is the master-weaver, both of theinner garment of character and the outer garment ofcircumstance..."Our habits of thought and behavio

Your level of happiness will influence everything from your health to your income and seemingly everything else in between, including relationships and even career success, yet few take the time to learn and understand this important subject.As a prelude to the Happiness Webinar Martin is hosting on 4/28/16 (6:30pm) PST, Martin discusses many of the influencing factors that contribute to one's level of happiness throughout their lifetime.Register here for the Happiness Webinar!It was Buddha who reportedly said, "There is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way." In a similar vein, Abe Lincoln once commented, "People are just about as happy as they make their minds up to be."It's clear, though, that happiness can often be far more than just a choice — there may be at least a dozen other contributing factors from relationships to control, expectations, and even our ability to accept events and how much "hope" we have in our lives. All of these can influence how we might feel from one moment to the next. The k

"Really, what moved me to write this is, what does it take to exist within a well-lived life?"Eric Kaufmann has coached and counseled executives since 1999. He has identified common themes and patterns that underlie what he's identified as "Leadership as a Hero's Journey." The essential four traits that he's written extensively about include:1) FOCUS2) COURAGE3) GRIT4) FAITH"Focus is what am I creating... what I create is somewhat related to my focus and somewhat related to 'stuff'..." In this engaging interview, Martin and Eric discuss the philosophy that underlies much of Eric's thinking and writing these days—particularly the four virtues as outlined in his book. The two kick things off as they exchange some fun anecdotes about family life with two daughters of the same ages (13 and 15).Eric's book is being re-released by a new publisher under a slightly different name, "The Four Virtues of a Leader." In this episode, Eric covers:How he defines a HEROThe three things each hero is called to doWho a hero rea

Nobody has more than twenty-four hours, yet some people get far ahead of others."If everyone requires eight hours of sleep to be healthy and most of us have jobs that require at least eight hours of work, it's what you do with the 'other' eight that will make all the difference for your future..."  Martin kicks off this episode sharing an observation Napoleon Hill made decades ago— how you use your "other" eight hours of your 24 hours will be make all the difference in your future results and paves the way for your "success"!How are you using the "other" eight?If success is creating your ideal future, then what you study, the skills and habits you develop in those other eight hours become essential to help you craft your ideal future.Sadly, it appears most people waste those other eight hours on frivolous activities. Certainly, we all need rest and recreation but those other eight hours are the key — the path to a brighter, better future.What would happen if you devoted just 15 minutes (of the other eight) co

"It's crazy... so many habit apps allow you to track bad habits. Please, please, do not ever track BAD HABITS you're just putting attention and focus on what you do NOT want!""To eliminate a bad habit replace it with a good one." Martin begins this episode by sharing how the environment is the first line of defense (or maybe even offense) when trying to kill a BAD Habit. Modifying your environment helps you to remove the common triggers and allows you to create impediments to executing the behavior you are trying to avoid.Next, Martin shares a famous quote by a Dutch Renaissance Theologian, Desiderius Erasmus who said, "A nail is driven out by a nail, habit is replaced by a habit." Replacement is the key to elimination, NOT just removing the bad behavior... "that creates a vacuum!"Finally, the listener is encouraged to revisit a prior episode "3 Bad Habit Busting Tips" and in that episode— as here, Martin revisits the "3 Ments" when it comes to killing a bad habit; environment, replacement and finally experim

"Don't just talk about your service, break it down. What kindsof problems will you be solving at the end of the day? Can youstart to give away answers so people can test drive how you thinkand how you solve a problem?"According to Jeremy Pound, his journey to becoming co-founder ofJuicyResults, as well as a well-known creative entrepreneur withinthe South Florida community, is easily traced to his enrollment (asa high school sophomore) in a brand-new Art magnet school thatopened in a nearby neighborhood."I went from being very disinterested in school to all of asudden...WOW!"Jeremy credits much of his current success to his incredibleteachers and the environment that fostered his current "I can doanything" mentality.Today, Jeremy is a sought-after Internet marketing strategist; hehelps clients who typically have annual revenues between $1 millionand $10 million and employs a dedicated sales staff.In this episode, Jeremy discusses:    His earlier rock star dreams    What his grunge band taught him about dreami

"There is a HUGE difference between being interested versus being committed to an outcome or goal. For most people, if they are being honest with themselves, they are only interested..."  Martin kicks off this episode with a personal realization and a confession. Realizing that earlier in the prior month he said to himself, "I'm going to run 35 miles this month."So, what was the problem?Well, that was ALL it was... just talk! There was NO PLAN and there was really no action. It was a "nice to have" but certainly not a commitment! To be committed— truly committed is the first step for goals that are meaningful.Talking about a goal or even having a vision of achieving a goal is worth very little without backing it up with sincere commitment.So, how do you know what you have sincere commitment? Easy. — Is there a PLAN?— Is there consistent action? Have the core behaviors/habits been identified?— Are you TRACKING these behaviors? If you are not tracking your progress you are not serious about your goal.— Be sure

"In life, goals are not optional." #thehabitfactor"The first thing goals do is give you direction. Direction provides a sense of purpose, and purpose leads to funny things like happiness and contentment." This show kicks off with Martin sharing a story about a woman who approached him after a workshop simply to say, "Thank you! I used to HATE the idea of goals!" She was frustrated! She really disliked the thought of goals because it reminded her of a nagging husband who insisted she set some goals that included "losing weight."This lady was so relieved to learn that by using The Habit Factor process, she could place her attention and focus on just a few, recurring behaviors (habits) instead of the goal itself.Then, Martin reviews The Habit Factor's P.A.R.R. methodology and how it stacks up against the popularized Cue, Routine, Reward method. He shares how the P.A.R.R. methodology is forward looking while Cue Routine Reward is  oriented toward assessing previous behaviors. Cue, Routine, Reward doesn't take int

"If we're focused, confident and relaxed we have a much better opportunity to execute what we want...""We know that our behaviors and our habits lead to our results..." A former pro golfer, Rick earned his doctorate in Applied Sports Psychology. He is the author of Golf: The Ultimate Mind Game and is former editor of Golf Tips magazine.A high school football injury directed Rick toward the sport of golf, and what he's learned since has truly been life-altering.In a competitive playoff for the right to join his college golf team as a walk-on, as he describes it, he "choked" under pressure. It was that "failure" that became a formative life experience and sent Rick toward the study of peak performance strategies.Today Rick is a sought-after peak-performance coach who trains aspiring professionals and helps corporate executives apply his many strategies and insights on peak performance, leadership and teamwork.In this episode, Rick shares:How to re-write your story to serve your ambitionsPhysiological influences

If happiness is, in large part, tied to the quality of our relationships, this episode is a MUST Listen..."This is how and where the championships are won and the bridges are built..."  Unfortunately, most people grow up believing that independence is the highest form of maturity.Martin shares some of his personal experience and the big, ah-ha in reading The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Dr. Stephen Covey points out that it is interdependence and not independence that is the highest form a maturity.Further, Covey shares that the most troubled relationships tend to break down, whether it's a team, company or in a personal setting, when the FIRST THREE HABITS (he calls, "the personal victory") are not first honored and addressed. Those habits are: Be Proactive, Begin with the End in Mind, Put First Things First!In fact, it's those first three habits that build the foundation and help to foster a strong, capable and long-lasting, interdependent relationship.Check it out now.... hear and share this Mind Bu

"All men's natures are alike — it's their habits that carry them far apart." ~Confucius "It makes no small difference to be habituated this way or that way from childhood; rather, it makes ALL the difference." ~Aristotle This show kicks off with Martin suggesting that this should have been the very first Frequently Asked Friday episode. Then he shares how it's nearly impossible to truly encapsulate ALL there is to understand about The Habit Factor in just a few minutes. Martin reviews the foundation and the philosophy upon which The Habit Factor is built. He discusses how so many of the great minds throughout history, such as Aristotle, Confucius and even Benjamin Franklin, have arrived at a very similar conclusion regarding HABIT. Martin then shares an important "discovery" from Think & Grow Rich. In fact, it's something that was left out of Think & Grow Rich: The Law of Cosmic Habit Force (prior episode -link) Then he touches on an important idea about goal achievement and "success" that, according

After selling his company for millions at age 26, Jon Carder briefly retires to surf the South Pacific. It turns out to be a very short "retirement" that lasts only about 3 weeks...“I think doing a business for money is absolutely the wrong motivation and will actually lead to a lot of challenges. “The only thing you have to do to be successful is to be better than just about everyone else at just one thing. It's simple but it's not easy." ~Jon CarderAt just 26, Jon Carder was featured on the cover of Fortune Small Business magazine (link) wearing just board shorts and holding a surfboard as the sun set with the title, "Time to Sell?" He had just sold his company for millions and was ready to "retire" and surf.But Jon Carder isn't your typical Southern California surf rat. He's also been featured in Business Insider and dozens of other publications and is an active member of the Entrepreneurs Organization and a mentor with The Founders Institute. He has founded several multi-million-dollar companies, and alon

"There is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way." ~Buddhist ProverbWhile happiness, as the Buddhist proverb goes, can and should be a choice (most often) there is no doubt our present circumstances and events have great influence upon our current level of happiness. In fact, what happens more often than not is that we will assign and craft stories about events (in the present) and then layer on our own subjective and speculative implications (stories) about how that event will influence our future. Interestingly, these future stories (that WE are always, habitually creating at will) in turn than influence our present level of happiness.The question becomes, do we have the power to change the story, our attention and focus?Martin touches on the R.A.S.; the Reticular Activation System, a part of the brain helps selectively guide our focus, to see and find those things that we are seeking OR patterns we've seen in the past. "We tend to see what we put our focus upon... If that future story or image projectio

“You can't build a reputation telling people what you are going to do!” ~Henry FordIt's a commonly accepted practice after all... tell everyone about your goals so you are accountable and extra motivated to push forward, right?Well  surprise - surprise! It turns out that announcing your goals is one of the biggest drains of energy and it often proves to diminish your chances of success as you strive to achieve your goal.Martin discusses his personal experience with this concept and how he noted his energy was best expended NOT in talking about his goals but in the act of getting busy to accomplish them— forging the habits that will accelerate the goals achievement.Martin then shares a related TED talk by Derek Sivers (link below) and some of the science Derek cites that contradicts the often promoted "tell everyone" tactic.Check out this week's F.A.F. and learn how keeping your trap shut is likely to put you on the fast track to goal achievement!If you still want to tell someone... Martin discusses exactly wh

“Companies see that there is so much value that comes from doing good in the community and it adds so much business value as well." “And I realized that through my many zigs and the zags I picked up experiences that really helped me to grow as a consultant." ~Frank ScarpaciFrank Scarpaci, a sought-after B corp and corporate social responsibility consultant, reviews a vast array of benefits related to becoming a "B" corporation (short for a "Benefit" corporation), a new type of corporation that puts social, community and environmental causes and stakeholders at equal value with corporate profits.Today, certified "B" corps span 47 countries and more than 130 industries and encompasses a growing community of more than 1,600 businesses!In this episode, Frank recounts his unique experience and the journey that led to him to becoming a leader in the space and a well-known consultant for aspiring businesses looking to become B corp certified.Frank shares many smart insights in this episode, including:How the B corp