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

“The greatest miracle is the ordinary.” ~Henry David Throreau This Habits 2 Goals episode is FREE for ALL subscribers.Wouldn’t it be great if there were more miracles in your life?Recently, a woman approached me to explain that a miracle was supposed to happen to her in a few days.“Uh… this is it.” I replied, “This (life) is the miracle. It’s all a freakin’ miracle!”Apparently, Rumi proclaimed, “The greatest miracle is that we are awake and alive.”Einstein reportedly said: “Miracles happen every day, change your perception of what a miracle is and you'll see them everywhere.”Now, from the great Persian philosopher and the brilliant physicist to Insane Clown Posse (band). Yes, ICP! 😀 🤡 👇 I lean on ICP’s brilliance and their fantastic song “Miracles” for some additional inspiration and backup (a few lyrics)…If magic is all we've ever knownThen it's easy to miss what really goes onBut I've seen miracles in every wayAnd I see miracles every dayOceans spanning beyond my sightAnd a million stars way above 'em at nightWe don't have to be high to look in the skyAnd know that's a miracle opened wideLook at the mountains, trees, the seven seasAnd everything chilling underwater, pleaseHot lava, snow, rain and fogLong neck giraffes, and pet cats and dogsThe real challenge is that we’ve been desensitized.We’re swimming in miracles.Like the proverbial fish in water who do not know what water is.“If anything is a miracle, everything is a miracle.” Einstein supposedly observed.It doesn’t matter who observed it. It’s the orientation and the awakening that matters.EVERYTHING IS A MIRACLE. (Repeat).The question is, “How does one reorient themselves to this magical awareness and disposition?Here’s how: AWARENESS. SERVICE. GRATITUDE. MEDITATION. &A LOT OF PRACTICE.Yes, cultivating these habits by tracking them can help! Be sure to follow P.A.R.R. 🙌 It’s difficult to notice and appreciate any miracle when you’re angry, bitter, jealous, frustrated, and/or ungrateful. Or, with your face buried in your phone.In fact, it’s arguably impossible. Take a moment to look up! 👆 Look around.Did you notice that butterfly?“When you change the way you look at things,” Wayne Dyer use to say, “The things you look at change.”Enjoy the show!Update:HERE WE GO!!! Whooohooo! Very excited about next week’s small-group coaching cohort (which is practically free!) A few spots still available! The 28-Day Breakthrough! begins 8/8/23!*Recently Awarded: “Finalist: Self-help, Motivation” International Book Awards: EVERYTHING is a F*cking STORY.Visit https://thehabitfactor.com/templatesTo learn more about P.A.R.R., just Google “P.A.R.R. and The Habit Factor.”Get The Habit Factor® FREE with your audible trial! https://audibletrial.com/habits2goalsIt’s time to make your goals “Automatic!”: https://automaticgoals.comFeedspot’s “Top 10 Habit Podcasts You Must Follow in 2021”New listeners, grab your free habits 2 goals tracking template here: https://thehabitfactor.com/templatesFREE copy of As a Man Thinketh (PDF) right here: As a Man ThinkethSubscribe iTunes here! Subscribe: Android This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit habits2goals.substack.com/subscribe

“Sometimes the best way to find inspiration is to ask an important question.” This Habits 2 Goals episode is FREE for ALL subscribers.In this episode, Jen and I discuss the significance of motivation and inspiration and their relationship to goal achievement.Inspiration tends to be intrinsic, while motivation can be both intrinsic and extrinsic.Both inspiration and motivation are powerful assets for goal achievement. Each has its place and neither is “better” than the other.Wayne Dyer used to suggest that inspiration was a calling from the spirit within. He would often say, “If you want to be inspired, be an inspiration.”How can you apply these ideas to your goals?Consider the person who doesn’t feel inspired to get fit yet, they know they must. They could change their environment, hire a fitness coach, and get a gym membership (external motivation).Motivation is both the carrot and the stick. Typically, it’s the desire to avoid pain that provides the greatest motivation.Both motivation and inspiration are tools that can serve us in our quest to achieve our most important goals.Understanding the difference helps you to know how and when to leverage each. Enjoy the show!Update:You’re invited! The next, live small-group coaching cohort, The 28-Day Breakthrough! begins 8/8/23!*Recently Awarded: “Finalist: Self-help, Motivation” International Book Awards: EVERYTHING is a F*cking STORY.Visit https://thehabitfactor.com/templatesTo learn more about P.A.R.R., just Google “P.A.R.R. and The Habit Factor.”Get The Habit Factor® FREE with your audible trial! https://audibletrial.com/habits2goalsIt’s time to make your goals “Automatic!”: https://automaticgoals.comFeedspot’s “Top 10 Habit Podcasts You Must Follow in 2021”New listeners, grab your free habits 2 goals tracking template here: https://thehabitfactor.com/templatesFREE copy of As a Man Thinketh (PDF) right here: As a Man ThinkethSubscribe iTunes here! Subscribe: Android This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit habits2goals.substack.com/subscribe

“The very best heroes and philosophers are dead.” ~Friedrich NietzscheThis Habits 2 Goals episode is FREE for ALL subscribers.The best heroes and philosophers are dead?!What does that mean?I thought I’d ask my AI buddies, ChatGPT and BARD to see if they knew.Unfortunately, their interpretations weren’t convincing; they were too literal. Neither offered the insight I suspected was behind the statement.In short, both AI “experiments” had a similar, weak response:“Nietzsche is suggesting that the greatest heroes and philosophers are those who have already lived and died. He argues that these individuals have already made their mark on the world and that we can learn from their example.”I believed the statement meant something else.Perhaps it was my own philosophical leanings (Exhibit A: Habits 2 Goals), that drove me to keep searching.I slept on this riddle for a while. Finally, the answer occurred to me.Have you ever heard the advice:If you truly admire or love a hero (a movie star, athlete, musician, author, etc), you should never meet them.In short, humans are fallible. They are prone to contradictions, errors, and mistakes. They can even offend people, but only when they are alive. It’s the dead heroes and philosophers who cannot err.Thus…The very best heroes and philosophers are dead.Enjoy the show!Update:Join our next Live Cohort is 8/8/23. Subscribe to be in the know.*Recently Awarded: “Finalist: Self-help, Motivation” International Book Awards: EVERYTHING is a F*cking STORY.Visit https://thehabitfactor.com/templatesTo learn more about P.A.R.R., just Google “P.A.R.R. and The Habit Factor.”Get The Habit Factor® FREE with your audible trial! https://audibletrial.com/habits2goalsIt’s time to make your goals “Automatic!”: https://automaticgoals.comFeedspot’s “Top 10 Habit Podcasts You Must Follow in 2021”New listeners, grab your free habits 2 goals tracking template here: https://thehabitfactor.com/templatesFREE copy of As a Man Thinketh (PDF) right here: As a Man ThinkethSubscribe iTunes here! Subscribe: Android This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit habits2goals.substack.com/subscribe

“Personal development exists on a spectrum. It’s a gift that allows you to become the person you could by using your intelligence, intention and effort.” This Habits 2 Goals episode is FREE for ALL subscribers.“He (or she) is on the spectrum.” A phrase that is probably overused these days.BTW: If it’s a spectrum, then everyone is on it.In this episode, we carry the idea of “The spectrum” and apply it to our personal development and potentiality.If intelligence is goal-directed behavior, then improving one’s wellness (over time) is a terrific use of their intelligence.Is it possible to consider your health on a spectrum from 1 - 10? How would you rate it?What about your finances or your professional career?Is it possible to improve your score in any wellness category over time? Arguably, it’s mandatory.How do you know where to start your personal development journey?The answer is often found by identifying your greatest challenge – the lowest score – in each of the eight, essential categoriesEnjoy the show!Update:Our next Live Cohort is 8/8/23. Subscribe to be in the know.*Recently Awarded: “Finalist: Self-help, Motivation” International Book Awards: EVERYTHING is a F*cking STORY.Visit https://thehabitfactor.com/templatesTo learn more about P.A.R.R., just Google “P.A.R.R. and The Habit Factor.”Get The Habit Factor® FREE with your audible trial! https://audibletrial.com/habits2goalsIt’s time to make your goals “Automatic!”: https://automaticgoals.comFeedspot’s “Top 10 Habit Podcasts You Must Follow in 2021”New listeners, grab your free habits 2 goals tracking template here: https://thehabitfactor.com/templatesFREE copy of As a Man Thinketh (PDF) right here: As a Man ThinkethSubscribe iTunes here! Subscribe: Android This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit habits2goals.substack.com/subscribe

“Life is like a dew drop, on a blade of grass, in the morning sun.” ~Zen ProverbThis Habits 2 Goals episode is FREE for ALL subscribers.Deepak Chopra said it like this, “Life is a lucid dream.”How well can you recall yesterday?How about sharing a story from your childhood?The painting below has hung in my stairway for nearly twenty-five years. It’s a photograph from our wedding in Baja, Mexico. It has a Monet-type filter applied to it.The original image is a beautiful, crisp photo taken by a professional photographer.Yet, for nearly twenty-five years, the image has looked like this, intentionally blurry.Why?Where have the young newlyweds gone? Where did the 25 years go?As we approach our 25th anniversary, the effect is fitting. The wedding seems like it happened both yesterday and a lifetime ago.The effect perfectly captures the ephemerality of life.This moment is already gone.No matter how old you are, your life is nearly over. It’s just a matter of time……and time is illusory.Even if you live to be 200 years old, your life will be over quickly.This isn’t meant to be depressing. Rather, it’s meant to stoke your appreciation for the moment — this moment.The time will never be “right.” This moment is a gift — it’s the “present” — that enables you to move in the direction of your goals and ideals.Get after it.Enjoy the show!Check out my latest book, recently awarded “Finalist: Self-help, Motivation” by the International Book Awards: EVERYTHING is a F*cking STORY.Visit https://thehabitfactor.com/templatesTo learn more about P.A.R.R., just Google “P.A.R.R. and The Habit Factor.”Get The Habit Factor® FREE with your audible trial! https://audibletrial.com/habits2goalsIt’s time to make your goals “Automatic!”: https://automaticgoals.comFeedspot’s “Top 10 Habit Podcasts You Must Follow in 2021”New listeners, grab your free habits 2 goals tracking template here: https://thehabitfactor.com/templatesFREE copy of As a Man Thinketh (PDF) right here: As a Man ThinkethSubscribe iTunes here! Subscribe: Android This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit habits2goals.substack.com/subscribe

“Zen is laughter, laughter Zen.”This Habits 2 Goals episode is FREE for ALL subscribers.How is Zen like laughter? ☝️Many people think Zen is a philosophy. Philosophies are ideas. The answer can be found in this great quote by Zen master T.D. Suzuki, “Zen has nothing to do with ideas.”How much thinking do you do when you laugh?Have you considered all the amazing benefits of laughter?Here is a short list:* Reduces stress and anxiety. * Boosts the immune system. * Helps to relieve pain.* Improves cardiovascular health. * Strengthens social bonds. * Improves mood and outlook on life. * Improves cognitive function. * Helps with recovery from illness. * Increases creativity. If laughter and non-thinking are healthy. What is the cost of too much thinking or overthinking? How much anxiety and pain is created from too much thought?Isn’t it true that anxiety and most pains are created by thought?These quotes remind us to be careful of our thoughts; to be cautious of our perpetual cleverness — aware of our overthinking and all the stories we create!Ultimately, it’s the practice of Zen that attempts to free us from our mind. Perhaps, the very best way to do that is with a good laugh! 😂Enjoy the show!Check out my latest book, recently awarded “Finalist: Self-help, Motivation” by the International Book Awards: EVERYTHING is a F*cking STORY.Visit https://thehabitfactor.com/templatesTo learn more about P.A.R.R., just Google “P.A.R.R. and The Habit Factor.”→ Check out, EVERYTHING is a F*cking STORY my latest book.Get The Habit Factor® FREE with your audible trial! https://audibletrial.com/habits2goalsIt’s time to make your goals “Automatic!”: https://automaticgoals.comFeedspot’s “Top 10 Habit Podcasts You Must Follow in 2021”New listeners, grab your free habits 2 goals tracking template here: https://thehabitfactor.com/templatesFREE copy of As a Man Thinketh (PDF) right here: As a Man ThinkethSubscribe iTunes here! Subscribe: Android This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit habits2goals.substack.com/subscribe

“You can only tell yourself one story at a time.”(see EVERYTHING is a F*cking STORY)This Habits 2 Goals episode is FREE for ALL subscribers.On a recent training run, I reflected upon an answer I’d given in a podcast interview on the Fifth Quarter.Hosts Lason Perkins and Jeff Osterman asked: “Do you celebrate the green lights?”The guests were wondering, figuratively, if I had the habit of appreciating the little blessings in life. I surprised them, and myself, by noticing that very morning, I did just that – celebrated several successive green lights while running.I answered literally.I shared how the green lights allowed me to complete my run without stopping.However, on a subsequent run, I would realize a far better answer. I thought about their question as I approached a red light. I was forced to stop. Automatically, I raised my arms and celebrated. This is awesome!Why was I celebrating a red light!?It wasn’t because I was able to stop and rest. Rather, I was filled with appreciation that I was running…That I was outdoors. That I was getting exercise. That I was above ground!I celebrated a red light!Sure, I had a bit of a runner’s high.As I thought about their question, I wished I could take my answer back. How much better would it have been, I wondered, if I answered, “Green Lights!? Anyone can celebrate a green light……I do my best to celebrate the RED LIGHTS!”Enjoy the show!Check out my latest book, EVERYTHING is a F*cking STORY to see how environmental principles influence your effectiveness.Visit https://thehabitfactor.com/templatesTo learn more about P.A.R.R., just Google “P.A.R.R. and The Habit Factor.”→ Check out, EVERYTHING is a F*cking STORY my latest book.Get The Habit Factor® FREE with your audible trial! https://audibletrial.com/habits2goalsIt’s time to make your goals “Automatic!”: https://automaticgoals.comFeedspot’s “Top 10 Habit Podcasts You Must Follow in 2021”New listeners, grab your free habits 2 goals tracking template here: https://thehabitfactor.com/templatesFREE copy of As a Man Thinketh (PDF) right here: As a Man ThinkethSubscribe iTunes here! Subscribe: Android This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit habits2goals.substack.com/subscribe

“The great value of having a big, hairy, audacious goal is that it forces you to get on your toes. Nobody with big, hairy audacious goals is living passively.” (see EVERYTHING is a F*cking STORY!This Habits 2 Goals episode is FREE for ALL subscribers.At halftime of a recent NBA playoff game, Kenny Smith (the TNT color analyst) shared a powerful observation about the Warriors’ play and, more importantly, their disposition.Kenny’s observation isn’t confined to the basketball court. The defending NBA champs – the Warriors – found themselves down 0-2 to the Sacramento Kings and were now facing a crucial game 3.At the half, the Warriors were up 53 - 41.Kenny said, “This is the first time in this series that the Warriors look like ‘the hunters.’”----Champions tend to rest and relax. Success breeds complacency. Meanwhile, the competition becomes hungry.Those who are hungry hunt. Those who are well-fed become the hunted.Finding themselves down 0-2 and possessing a halftime lead in game 3, Smith made an important observation: The Warriors regained their winning mentality.They were, once again, the hunters.---Ask yourself, “Am I playing life today like a hunter or the hunted?”Enjoy the show!Check out my latest book, EVERYTHING is a F*cking STORY to see how environmental principles influence your effectiveness.Visit https://thehabitfactor.com/templatesTo learn more about P.A.R.R., just Google “P.A.R.R. and The Habit Factor.”→ Check out, EVERYTHING is a F*cking STORY my latest book.Get The Habit Factor® FREE with your audible trial! https://audibletrial.com/habits2goalsIt’s time to make your goals “Automatic!”: https://automaticgoals.comFeedspot’s “Top 10 Habit Podcasts You Must Follow in 2021”New listeners, grab your free habits 2 goals tracking template here: https://thehabitfactor.com/templatesFREE copy of As a Man Thinketh (PDF) right here:As a Man ThinkethSubscribe iTunes here! Subscribe: Android This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit habits2goals.substack.com/subscribe

“High expectations are the key to everything.” ~Sam Walton (Founder of Walmart)“The key to happiness is low expectations.” ~Barry Schwartz (American Pyschologist)This Habits 2 Goals episode is FREE for ALL subscribers. Which is it?Should you have high expectations or low expectations?How about…Both.Often you should have high expectations. Sometimes you should have low expectations. Sometimes, no expectations are the way to proceed. It depends.----To let go and to possess high expectations are just two sides of the same coin.While Habits 2 Goals is about goal achievement. It is also about appreciating the things we can influence as well as the things we cannot.Put simply: Goal-striving is intelligence in action. However, it is also one’s ego and willpower in action.John was a guy who seemed to accomplish every goal he went after. A goal achiever of the highest order. He’d recently sold his company for millions while undergoing an eighteen month battle with leukemia.Just a week before he would pass away, he did the only thing that was left to do. He let go.That may have been John’s great gift and it was a powerful lesson to all who loved him.---One can practice the art of letting go daily.When it comes to goal achievement, it’s crucial to recognize where the ego is pursuing ambitions and outcomes beyond your control. With awareness and practice, daily frustrations can vanish with the practice of letting go.Enjoy the show!Check out my latest book, EVERYTHING is a F*cking STORY to see how environmental principles influence your effectiveness.Visit https://thehabitfactor.com/templatesTo learn more about P.A.R.R., just Google “P.A.R.R. and The Habit Factor.”→ Check out, EVERYTHING is a F*cking STORY my latest book.Get The Habit Factor® FREE with your audible trial! https://audibletrial.com/habits2goalsIt’s time to make your goals “Automatic!”: https://automaticgoals.comFeedspot’s “Top 10 Habit Podcasts You Must Follow in 2021”New listeners, grab your free habits 2 goals tracking template here: https://thehabitfactor.com/templatesFREE copy of As a Man Thinketh (PDF) right here:As a Man ThinkethSubscribe iTunes here! Subscribe: Android This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit habits2goals.substack.com/subscribe

“By adding positive pressure, anyone can improve their productivity, performance and even peace of mind.” ~MG (see The Pressure Paradox™)This Habits 2 Goals episode is FREE for ALL subscribers. On a return trip to San Diego, I stop in Orange County for breakfast with a great friend – a super friend – who happens to be a championship-winning, professional collegiate rugby coach.Surprisingly, he starts to ping me about setting big goals for himself and, more importantly, about how he can stick to them!----I tell him that the very best way I know (from experience), to stay on track and move toward my biggest goals is to simply track the key, supportive habits that will drive the goal’s attainment.He knows this, by the way.It’s likely that we ALL know this. That is, if it’s important to you, you’d better be tracking.“To know, and not to do, is not to know.” ~ConfuciusHabit tracking is not optional and some methods are better than others ; )Here’s the “right way.”---The first part to ACHIEVING ANY BIG GOAL is to commit! This presumes you are clear and do know what your BIG GOAL is!Such a commitment creates the requisite PRESSURE.Establish a deadline. Pay an entry fee. Establish some real consequences for not following through, etc.Once you are committed, THEN it’s time to begin tracking the core, recurring behaviors (habits) that will bring you closer to the goal.That is step two.TRACK the core, habits that will drive the goal’s attainment.THAT IS HOW YOU STAY ON TRACK.One simply must track to stay on track.That is it. Simple and powerful but not necessarily easy.You got this!Enjoy the show!Check out my latest book, EVERYTHING is a F*cking STORY to see how environmental principles influence your effectiveness.Visit https://thehabitfactor.com/templatesTo learn more about P.A.R.R., just Google “P.A.R.R. and The Habit Factor.”→ Check out, EVERYTHING is a F*cking STORY my latest book.Get The Habit Factor® FREE with your audible trial! https://audibletrial.com/habits2goalsIt’s time to make your goals “Automatic!”: https://automaticgoals.comFeedspot’s “Top 10 Habit Podcasts You Must Follow in 2021”New listeners, grab your free habits 2 goals tracking template here: https://thehabitfactor.com/templatesFREE copy of As a Man Thinketh (PDF) right here:As a Man ThinkethSubscribe iTunes here! Subscribe: Android This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit habits2goals.substack.com/subscribe