Habits 2 Goals: The Habit Factor® Podcast with Martin Grunburg

"We don't see the world as it is, we see it as we are." ~Anais Nin When people talk about shifting their paradigm it might sound corny, or perhaps trendy, or both. The importance of shifting one's paradigm particularly when it comes to self-imposed limitations or limiting beliefs can not be overstated. In fact, Einstein once said you can't solve a problem using the same level of thinking that crea...

"If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours." Henry David Thoreau In this episode Martin revisits this quote by the famous essayist — a quote that sent him on a journey of personal discovery and analysis about the enigma that is "success". In this famous quote Henry David T...

"As long as you are above ground, these are ALL things you 'Get to do!'" How we talk to ourselves determines a vast majority of what we do and do not do. The language that we use often creates resistance. So, then what happens? Well, we know what we need to do but still don't do it. What are the chances that some of that resistance is simply tied to the language that we use? In this episode Martin...

" There comes a leap in consciousness, call it intuition or what you will, the solution comes to you and you don't know how or why.” ~Albert Einstein What is the difference between the superconscious and the subconscious? When a problem is well defined it seems that when we are relaxed, and in a subconscious, habitual state that we make that "leap in consciousness" that Einstein talks about. Einst...

A diamond in the rough doesn't look like a diamond and that's an important point to remember. In this episode Martin revisits a timeless classic from the personal development archives, "Acres of Diamonds" by Russell Conwell. Russell Conwell shares the story of an African farmer who becomes excited about the prospect of finding a fortune of diamonds elsewhere. He hurriedly sells his farmland and he...

"The key is tricking yourself to move quadrant two items to quadrant one whenever possible." This episode Martin revisits Stephen Covey's classic Effectiveness or Time Management Grid. Many of us become great at "getting stuff done" (GTD) the only challenge is that often it's NOT the the important stuff that, in the long run, will make us feel content, accomplished and like we've lived a life that...

"Worrying is like paying interest on a loan that may never come due." But, is there really no value in worrying? It's a great question and one worth considering. What is the value of worry? Why have we been given this capacity to worry?   It turns out that worry can be damaging and a great waste of time and energy. However, there are many instances where worry serves a tremendous purpose; to get u...

"Comfort is the great enemy of success." ~Brian Tracy In this episode Martin explores the upside and the downside of becoming conditioned . In any environment over time (humans) become conditioned but it isn't just the environment that we become conditioned to. We are conditioned to our diets, to the amount of money we earn, to our friendship, professional and social circle. In fact, we are condit...

"Creativity takes courage." ~Henri Matisss This episode may be the perfect follow-up to last Friday's Frequently Asked Friday (FAF), "What if I fail?" With the thought of "failure" comes a lot of resistance that prevents many of us from ever getting started. Similarly, when a person is considering taking on any creative endeavor, they often will unknowingly seek permission to begin— as though some...

Martin begins this episode by talking about his 13 year old daughter and her recent run for student council president. His first thought... "Oh no! What if she loses!" And, then he silently figures he'd better prepare a consolation speech for her. The encounter got him thinking though about a few things. First, how brave she was (only two other candidates -girls- were willing to run) and that some...

"Being listened to feels so much like being loved people can hardly tell the difference." ~David Augsberg "I never learned anything while I was talking." ~Larry King The real value of listening may be beyond measure. Countless proverbs proclaim the value of this virtue but how many of us can say we are good listeners? How many of us can say we've developed the listening habit? Martin shares his st...

"There is never enough time to do everything and there is always enough time to do the most important things." ~Brian Tracy The Law of Forced Efficiency tells us that we can NEVER use the excuse that we don't have enough time to achieve our goals. Today's episode highlights a profound lesson and "law" shared by the great Brian Tracy in his Psychology of Achievement. By separating and prioritizing...

Motivation is often fleeting and while it's important not to wait for motivation to strike there are a few mindsets that help getting and staying motivated easier. In this episode, Martin reviews these strategies and shares his experience about what has helped when motivation was lacking. A precept is understanding the critical importance of getting started. In order to give yourself a shot you mu...

Everything is created twice... Where there is no vision the people perish. ~Proverbs If success can be defined as "creating your ideal future" then it's essential to know what your ideal future looks like. Are you able to clearly articulate that vision. If you close your eyes now, can you envision what it might look like three or five years out? "Your imagination is your preview to life's coming a...

"I'm an overnight success, it just took twenty years." We tend to overestimate what we can accomplish in the short term and under estimate what we can achieve in the long run. Today's episode is about how long it takes to really make any entrepreneurial endeavor "stick". That is, whether it's a book, an app, a podcast or any business endeavor, if it's something you want to succeed you'd better be...

Feeling stuck? The good news is everyone has felt this way before and it's not only common, it's a significant sign of pending growth. In this episode, Martin tackles a few key mindsets around the idea of feeling "stuck" and how one can best grapple with the feeling. A great starting point is releasing any resistance to the feeling and then enjoying and using the awareness to ask key questions lik...

Who is to blame when things go wrong? Yes... this is a Mind Bullet on a Wednesday. (you are not crazy). Martin starts this episode with a bit of a chuckle as the guest for this episode had to reschedule at the last minute leaving him with a Wednesday Mind Bullet (regular listeners know that Wednesdays are reserved for interviews). So this last minute shift in plans creates a learning moment. In li...

What is the value of emotion? How well do you listen to your emotions when it comes to all of your decisions— particularly when "logic" is saying one thing and your gut is saying another. In today's episode Martin asks the listener to reflect upon some of their most positive growth experiences and ask if they were "logic-based" decisions or if they followed their gut. Much of our decision making i...

This week's question comes to us via Quora.com and Martin reads/shares his response to the question and adds a little color commentary along the way. Consistent to theme, Martin shies away from the idea that there are just 3 Daily habits and redirects the quora.com user toward a better understanding of HABIT (singular). This way, the user is empowered to craft intentionally the habits that will he...

"The word is out... gratitude has incredible benefits." ~Glenn Fox In this entertaining interview, Glenn covers his journey toward graduate school and beyond. Citing stories of getting his top-level mechanics degree and his love of cars and, how being a mechanic served much of his mindfulness development. His eclectic background combined with an element of chance ultimately leads Glenn to find a g...

What does that French proverb mean to you? What is life that when it's half spent it becomes clear? Or, is it really just an observation that it takes us half our life to realize what is most important to us? Martin kicks off this episode sharing an observation about this great proverb via the lens of The Habit Factor but later observes it could be a number of things including the ephemerality of...

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 nei...

"At the end of the day, I'm in the business of helping as many entrepreneurs as I can. So, if I can reach more people outside of San Diego with the messaging that I have then it's a win/win all around." ~Henry Evans As a VP of a software sales company, Henry Evans found himself,as he describes it, "caught up in the rat race". When excessive travel finally became too plus the day he realized he was...

"I hope, therefore, that some of my descendants may follow the example and reap the benefit." ~Benjamin Franklin When it comes to personal development very few know that the great grandfather or the great, great grandfather of PD is Benjamin Franklin. It's hard to find a more prolific American than Benjamin Franklin yet most people don't know that at a young age Ben believed himself to be abrasive...

"How can emotions (positive or negative) help you develop habits to bring success in your endeavors? This episode starts with Martin addressing the negative relationship first; illustrating how the emotion of ANGER often triggers all sorts of habitual behaviors. In fact, a great Epictetus quote notes this: "Whenever you are angry, be assured that it is not only a present evil, but that you have in...