goal theory

Top 10 Self-Help Quotes (My Hall of Fame)

creative theory, goal theory, goals, performance, Podcast

By Martin Grunburg

As many of you know, I’m a huge fan of personal development/self-help quotes. The right quote at the right time might shave off years or even decades of pain, struggle, and hardship if the message and lesson resonate just right.

This is an important point: The message must resonate. It seems that sometimes I can hear or see the same quote over and over, maybe hundreds of times, before — for whatever reason — the message finally strikes a chord with me and truly has personal meaning.

For your review, here are my favorite self-help/development quotes and, in brief, what they’ve meant to me. Perhaps one might strike a chord with you someday.

“When the student is ready, the master appears.” ~Lao Tzu*

It may be worth keeping this quote in mind as you review the following quotes. ; )
*(attributed to multiple sources, sometimes noted as ‘teacher’ vs. ‘master’)

It’s worth noting that the order of these quotes is somewhat meaningful relative to its importance and when the message came into my life.

“If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” ~Henry David Thoreau

I tripped upon this quote almost a quarter century ago as I embarked on my very first entrepreneurship adventure. Feeling wholly inadequate, even blind, and with immense pressure to forge our new company (with partner investors), I found great comfort in Thoreau’s guidance and, frankly, his assurance that so long as I moved confidently — even when things on the “inside” didn’t feel so certain — I would be assured a “success” in common hours.

(I expand on the quote and some of these ideas in this fairly recent interview on the Knowlege for Men podcast, Listen Here.)

“Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right.” ~Henry Ford

Henry Ford’s brilliant insight helped to affirm a long-held belief that we tend to project our expectations (often without conscious thought), and then these expectations greatly influence our efforts, abilities, and ultimately our consequences/outcomes.

The quote parallels the idea of the “placebo effect” and how our expectations even about the medications we take can affect our health.

“Wisdom is equal measure experience plus reflection.” ~Aristotle

Speaking of experience, so many of us will chase knowledge. Knowledge. Knowledge. Knowledge. As though that were the holy grail.

Ultimately we recognize knowledge doesn’t quite equate to success. We used to have to wait three days for a doctor with specialized knowledge to travel across three states on a horse and buggy just to impart his knowledge.

Today, we can Google just about any question on our smartphone and within a seconds have an answer 99.9 percent of the time.

Wisdom, on the other hand, is timeless.

What is wise today will be wise in 300 years. The Golden Rule, for instance, is a beautiful example of wisdom. Knowledge, though, tends to be tied to the past. Knowledge tells us on one day that there are nine planets in our solar system, and then later we’re informed that there are only eight. Knowledge changes. Cholesterol is bad, then cholesterol is good, then there is a good cholesterol and bad cholesterol. Wisdom says let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food.

In order to gain wisdom, though, we must reflect as much as we act. Wisdom demands both action and reflection— in equal measure.

“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. ~Calvin Coolidge

Persistence. Persistence. Persistence. What if the path of least resistance is persistence?

Coolidge nailed it! It’s a stunning observation, as I’ve been witness to great talent wasted and genius that has been starved without action. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent!

“If people knew how hard I worked to get my mastery, it wouldn’t seem so wonderful after all.” ~Michelangelo

It must be human nature: We all want to find a shortcut or “secret” that will lead us to a life of success and happiness.

Yet, we have ample evidence from the greatest achievers throughout history. Their stories share a consistent theme: hard work.

History’s greatest achievers encountered multiple defeats and failures (see persistence, above). Almost unanimously, they fought a difficult and honorable battle in order to claim their “success” — and along the way, each revealed their path.

Yet we’d rather learn about some “secret” that doesn’t exist! This actually makes sense. HARD WORK sucks, right? Unless, that is, you and I can become a craftsman like Michelangelo. That is, to slow down and enjoy the process of the work.

There is no secret. And, if there was one it would be this (next quote) … and it’s only because it makes the hard work easier over time.

Imagine Michelangelo chipping away at the statue of David (which took over four years to create) and starting to look for a shortcut. Or, while painting the Sistine Chapel thinking it could go faster if he just cut some corners. Nope: The results show something different, don’t they? Hence, he’s heralded centuries later as a “Master.”

“All mens’ natures are alike— it’s their habits that carry them far apart.”

–Confucius

Habit. That is it.

This is the closest thing (answer) you will ever find to a secret.

Your thought habits and your behavior habits are what put you on autopilot since they reside in the subconscious and they are repeated over and over. Set up the wrong habits and you’re destined for some serious challenges. Set up the right habits and life is likely to work out very well for you.

The beauty is, when it comes to habits, you can create any habit you’d like. You must first craft your habits consciously, but know that implementing them takes action — repeated action. Therefore, even the popular book and movie (tremendous marketing ; ) The Secret doesn’t work without the force of habit. (watch this great video explaining exactly that by John Assaraf, a contributor to the movie).

Nobody achieves their goals without HABIT.

Without habit, there can be no Compound Effect (a terrific book by Darren Hardy, former Publisher of Success.com).

HABIT (or, The Habit Factor) is the force multiplier. It’s what makes the “secret” or “the compound effect” or “the law of attraction” or any special sauce/magic formula, work.

Habit (or The Law of Cosmic Habit Force) was the great discovery by Napoleon Hill after he authored one of the greatest self-help books of all time, Think and Grow Rich. He called The Law of Cosmic Habit Force the secret and “missing link“.

In many ways, this — the Confucius quote above — is the quote that launched The Habit Factor®. Not to mention, it helped to establish a previously undocumented method for goal achievement (Habit Alignment), something even the most notable goal achievement methodologies and personal development legends had failed to identify!

Habit (your habits of thought and action), as Confucius noted, is what separates any “success” from the “failure.”

“The unexamined life is not worth living.”

–Socrates

And why wouldn’t Socrates and Aristotle, regarded as perhaps the greatest philosophers of all time, have two quotes on my top-ten list? Interestingly, both involve awareness and self-reflection.

With this he leaves us to wonder, how could a life unexamined be worth living?

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” ~Albert Einstein

Oh.. the ever-elusive life-balance question. How can I keep my wife, kids, boss happy, and have fun, and stay fit? Read Einstein’s quote once again and the answer should appear. Balance is NOT found as a moment in time — a static destination. Rather, balance is the RESULT of oscillation, adjustments and constant movement. Acting, assessment, and self-correction.

There are some (fools) who insist balance is bogus. I submit to you that it is essential: Balance equals harmony, and harmony equals…

“Set peace of mind as your highest goal, and organize your life around it.” ~Brian Tracy

Perhaps overly simplified. But what is success without peace of mind? Mr. Tracy is a living PD legend, and I think he’s on to something here. The fact is, if we do not possess peace of mind (most of the time), any success is likely to be short-lived if experienced at all.

Organizing your life around where you like to live, what you like to do, and with whom you’d like to do it is essential. This may sound a little Pollyanna-ish, but in many ways, it’s a concept that brings us nearly right back to where we started this post with our good man Thoreau’s advice, “to move confidently in the direction of our dreams and endeavor to live the life we have imagined.”

Not only is that certain to bring us success in “common hours,” but just as importantly, it will bring us peace of mind.

Hope you enjoyed this list as much as I have enjoyed sharing it!

~mg

Top 10 Reasons the #PhelpsFace Will Make Your Life Better

belief, creative theory, discipline, energy, goal theory, goals, habits

PhelpsFaceDuo-01
By: Martin Grunburg

Fortunately, I missed the MTV Video Awards show last night. That’s right, I said, fortunately. Unfortunately, though, I missed Michael Phelps’ big reveal about the inspiration behind the #PhelpsFace.

After a couple of Olympics posts (I, II), I promised I’d come back to Phelps.

Perhaps you were lucky enough to witness the high-Olympic drama live.

It’s impossible to recreate the tension of the moment; however, this is how the scene unfolded [see the embedded tweet below], compliments of NBC Olympic coverage.

Michael Phelps is about to swim the 200 Butterfly semi-final against South African swimmer Chad Le Clos.

Le Clos narrowly beat Phelps for a gold medal in the same event at the 2012 Olympics in London.

So, as you might imagine, this is where the party starts: As the two wait in the warm-up area prior to the semifinal heat, Le Clos starts to shadow-box — trying to stay loose, but really, more than anything, it appears he’s trying pretty hard to get in Phelps’ head, dancing well within Phelps’ personal space.

Phelps’ stare down of Chad Le Clos is much better with the Curb Your Enthusiasm theme song: https://t.co/Bpy94Wbb3c https://t.co/q12NPhnP4r

— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) August 9, 2016

A recipe for disaster?

Not if you’re the all-time most-decorated Olympian in history (the seasoned pro would have none of it). Rather, it was a perfect example of how we mortals can similarly use pressure, even in the most intense moments, as added motivation and channel it positively. Think: “Chip on the Shoulder.”

Here’s where it gets a little weird.

Ever since this happened, I can’t shake the #PhelpsFace image. In fact, I’m not even sure I want to.

Whether it’s a long day at the office or I’m late into a long-distance run, the #PhelpsFace is what keeps me going when I’ve run out of gas.

I’ve now personally used the #PhelpsFace (the vision) as a trigger (link) — a way to dig deep — to find that 6th, 7th, or maybe even 8th wind (link) I didn’t know existed.

So, for your consideration, here are 10 great reminders of what it takes to achieve a peak performance and ways that the #phelpsface will make your life better ; )

1) Chip on the Shoulder: Everyone needs an edge. The underdog. The ol’ chip on the shoulder. Oprah Winfrey had it after being fired. Lamborghini had it after Ferrari told him to stick to tractors! The list is endless. Even though Phelps had 19 Gold Medals at the time, few knew what to expect as he headed into this race.

Here’s some further color commentary from Gary Vee on the immeasurable benefits of being an immigrant– having that edge.

2) Focus: A great reminder of what it means to bring focus and intensity to a big moment. One look at that face, and there is no denying Phelps’ intensity and focus.

3) Concentration. Energy is precious. It is most useful when it is concentrated first, then directed (focused). While Le Clos is dancing around like Muhammad Ali, Phelps is concentrating his energy.

4) Preparation: 20+ years of preparation. For the Rio Olympics Phelps said he was more prepared than any other games.

5) Goal Setting: One of the great benefits of goal-setting is that it helps people to unlock their unlimited potential. What better example of the power of goal-setting than that image — #PhelpsFace determined to achieve his goals.

6) Practice: Practice. Practice. Great performance without an intense level of practice can’t happen. This Under Armour Commercial helps to remind us where the real gold is found — outside the spotlight.

7) Loose and Relaxed: He might have been intense while waiting, but Phelps always remains loose and relaxed (seemingly “comfortable”). Phelps starts every race with a little stretch and a #PhelpsFlap.

7a) More Hip Hop? What’s helping to keep Phelps and so many Olympians loose and relaxed? This was the song he shared that he was listening to while making that famous face: (Stick Talk by Future.)

8) Embrace the Competition: Having barely lost to the younger swimmer in 2012, Phelps was eager to respond!

9) The Comeback Kid! Fall down seven times, stand up 8 (or something like that goes a Japanese proverb). Post-2012 Olympics, Phelps temporarily retired and was seemingly “lost” and in a “dark place” he told Bob Costas. A couple of DUIs and one bong photo later, and you have a great reminder that it isn’t about where you are, but where you are headed!

10) The Power of Habit. Technically, I really mean The FORCE of habit. What a great reminder about how it is HABIT that is the great driver, the force-multiplier, that has not only forged Phelps’ discipline, but his character.

Habit is the force that drives all goal-achievement and there may never be a better example of a man aligning his habits to his goals than Michael Phelps.

So the next time you are struggling, have a big performance, or just need to dig deep and find that extra inspiration, do what I do: Recall the #PhelpsFace. Heck, you might even get a tattoo ; )

What can the #PhelpsFace do for you today?

Get after it!

~mg

Olympians and Goal Achievement, Part I

belief, creative theory, creative vision, goal theory, goals, habits, learning, practicing

By: Martin Grunburg

I love the Olympics. To witness the best athletes in the world competing on the biggest stage — it’s packed with entertainment and, better still, fantastic lessons about achievement.

But, where do you think it really begins for an Olympian?

It would be hard to argue that it doesn’t begin with a vision — A DREAM!

Yep, that’s Ryan Murphy’s illustration at eight years old. (Murphy won gold medals in both the 100M & 200M Backstroke.) He drew this image as part of a “story” he wrote to his parents.

Take a closer look, though: It’s clear that even as a young boy, Ryan had a vision. He wrote, “I hope my swimming life continues and I become an Olympian when I grow up. I hope I will break the world records. I want to be the best swimmer in the world”

You may be saying, “Sure, but everyone has dreams…what makes his or any Olympian’s dreams come true?”

While I’m certain there are a host of influences, I think the starting point is undeniably a clear vision, a dream.

And, on that note, it’s probably worthwhile to revisit the old adage about dreams and goal-setting. “A dream is just a goal with a deadline.”

The fact is, Olympians have more than just a dream. Each Olympic dream comes with its very own hard-set, deadline!

Your Goal Achievement, Action Items
(Homework and Checklist):
For fun, let’s dissect Ryan’s example and extract a few basic rules of goal achievement for ourselves.

1) Vision: Identify, project and create a crystal-clear vision. Can you imagine and see the ideal outcome?

2) Deadline: Make the vision even more concrete by adding a deadline, even if you suspect the deadline may change. Establishing a deadline makes the vision/dream more tangible.

3) Write it up! Draw it, illustrate and/or color it. Many people even create vision boards!

Example#1: Watch John Assaraf’s remarkable story about his vision board and mansion (video).

Example #2: Why Simon Whitfield Believes ‘Anything Is Possible‘. Simon journaled daily and affirmed his vision of Olympic greatness. “I have a journal where every single day I wrote ‘I am the Olympic champion’ before it ever happened.”

Example #3: Eddie the Eagle. An unbelievable story turned Hollywood movie. Throughout the movie, Eddie consistently tells his family that he will be an Olympian. (Movie Link Amazon). Is the movie a bit corny? Yes! Watch it anyway. You’ll see the kind of vision, determination, and resilience (frankly) — all the principles that are outlined here — in action!

5) Believe it! As the late, great Norman Vincent Peale (author of The Power of Positive Thinking) used to say, “Conceive, believe and achieve!”

6) Get Emotional over it! The clear vision, the deadline, and the belief ought to create intense emotions. Emotions like excitement or even fear are common. If you don’t feel intense emotions around your goal (with a deadline!), something is wrong and it may be that you don’t …

7) Know your “Why?”! What’s the reason behind your dream-goal. The Why is essential because there are going to be innumerable setbacks along the journey, and if you don’t know the WHY and have those related emotions to lean into when the going gets tough, you will likely quit!

8) Resilience: Adapt and overcome. Can’t emphasize this one enough. If you watch the movie “Eddie the Eagle” you notice that he continues to adapt his strategies and tactics. Originally intent on being a summer Olympic athlete, he shifts to the winter games, and then ultimately realizes he must shift even the sport in which he decides to compete. A brilliant example of adaptation!

9) Finally, DO it! Or, as Nike says, “Just do it.” Of course, The Habit Factor’s corollary to this is “Just do it— often.” One must create the habits — the right behaviors (consistently) — and that is the difference maker. There isn’t an Olympic champion (past, present or future) who hasn’t formed the habits to make their dream a reality.

So, how does your check-list look? Does it look like Eddie the Eagle’s?

Again, this isn’t really about the Olympics or Olympians, it’s about YOU.

They did it— you can to!

Keep the dream alive.

~mg

8 Keys to Problem Solving

creativity, energy, goal, goal theory, goals

By: Martin Grunburg

Problems, problems, problems. As the saying goes, problems aren’t going away anytime soon. However, a key to solving problems is understanding their inherent nature. Below are 8 keys to effective problem solving.

Key #1: Problem equals “barrier.”
This from www.etymonline.com: Latin problema, from Greek problema “a task, that which is proposed, a question;” also “anything projecting, headland, promontory; fence, barrier;” also “a problem in geometry,” literally “thing put forward,” from proballein “propose,” from pro “forward” (see pro-) + ballein “to throw” (see ballistics). (footnote).

Key #2: All goal achievement is simply problem solving — the ability to remove barriers. The very best goal achievers are problem solvers.

Example:
Goal: To increase the company’s agreement sales
Barrier: Insufficient marketing and sales resources.

Key #3: Address/solve the barriers and achieve the goal.

Key#4: Barriers tend not to go away on their own.

Key #5: Once removed a new barrier is likely to expose itself.

Key #6: Changing perspective and reframing/phrasing the problem differently often yields new possibilities and solutions. Sometimes you can’t attack the barrier head on and need to go around it/circumvent it. Think of an army attacking a promontory (barrier/problem) with the goal to overtake it.

Key #7: Remove just one barrier at a time (when working as an individual). Teams have the ability to address multiple barriers at once.

Key #8: Identify your biggest limiter. This is the barrier that will yield the greatest impact and reward when removed.

Example: I learned much of this trying to achieve the goal of completing an Ironman. One of the first things I did was purchase a book, Going Long. In the book the author spoke at length about the idea of key limiters. For me, running long distance is/was my biggest limiter and I knew I would have the greatest impact/result by addressing it first. To do so, I spent the majority of my energy and time working on my running. Comparatively, swimming was/is a strength, so I spent the least amount of time on my swimming.

Next steps: Address the following…

What is your goal?

List the barriers/problems preventing the goal’s achievement. You will likely be able to recite the top three immediately and without much thought.

Identify the biggest limiter. What is the one barrier (problem) that, when addressed, will yield the greatest result and have the most impact?

Example: You might say my biggest limiter is that we are unfunded…We need money!

How can you address this most effectively? What is the key limiter? Often money is just a symptom, not a cause. In other words— money may not be the real problem (barrier).

What can you do to increase sales? What are you doing to reduce costs? How are you marketing?

If money really is the desired goal (investment), how are you pitching investors? How can that pitch be made stronger, etc.?

To put a bow on this, problem solving (and goal achievement) is easier when you understand the real nature of problems.

~mg

>>>>>>>>>

Next post: How to Tackle Problems and Reduce the Stress

What the FBI vs. Apple Case Can Teach Us About Goal Achievement

belief, creative theory, creativity, energy, goal theory, goals, Habit Alignment, habits

By: Martin Grunburg

Chances are good you know of the recent controversy regarding the FBI’s demand that Apple help the agency crack the iPhone of one of the San Bernardino shooters. The FBI also wanted Apple to provide backdoor access for future iPhone models and iOS iterations. Apple quickly recognized that complying with such an order would set a dangerous precedent. So, instead of complying, Apple wrote this letter.

However, this post isn’t so much about the FBI vs. Apple situation as much as how it seems almost everyone loves a good controversy — and, better yet, digging in their heels and choosing sides!

Twitter and Facebook blew up! The “Ban APPLE” tweets were rampant, accusing the tech giant of somehow deliberately aiding terrorists. On the other side, many liberal and mostly anti-government people dug in their heels: KEEP THE GOVERNMENT OUT!!!

It was an intense standstill that appeared likely to be headed to the Supreme Court. And, with the amount of cash Apple has in reserves these days, I’m not sure this would have gone well for the government. Read this…

During all the drama, though, there were a few people — a select handful — who wondered, “Isn’t there another alternative?” Couldn’t a third party hack the phone (which was the issue at hand)? Was there not some middle and common ground where BOTH sides could save face, protect their highest interests (security and privacy) and still win?

I’ve written extensively about this idea in The Pressure Paradox: how our (Western) society and our upbringing has thoroughly ingrained an “us-vs.-them,” “right-vs.-wrong” mentality — as though every instance or controversy can be stuffed in a box and labeled “Winner” and “Loser.”

It’s a bit precarious to live with such a dichotomous nature all the time, a nature that reinforces simple, black-and-white thinking. This type of thought process ignores the thousands of shades of grey that are likely to exist in any situation. In my earlier days as a business owner, part of the counsel I gave to employees who exhibited this line of thinking was to offer a simple question: “How many Supreme Court justices are there?” The point is that if any situation were truly black and white, we’d just need one judge.

Dichotomous thinking is really a sign of poor critical thinking. One of my favorite quotes on the subject is from the great Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard: “If you take away paradox from the thinker, you have a professor.”

And, before I receive hate mail from the teachers and professors, please know, I love professors! Hold on to that email ; ).

A true THINKER in the Apple vs. FBI case is NOT likely to take sides, to not see a black-and-white issue — to appreciate the complexity and seek the third option.

Recently, I saw this terrific NOVA episode titled “The Great Math Mystery.” At its core was the simple premise and question, “Is math invented, discovered or both?”

The answer, it turns out, proves to be (drum-roll) BOTH.

And now we can bring this home…

When it comes to goal achievement, it’s both efficient and effective to keep an open mind. To be rigid and to be flexible. To move quickly and to move slowly. To seek one answer and then an alternative, and of course another.

Are goals good or bad? Well, they could be both. Are habits good or bad? I’ll let you take that one.

And here is the great paradox of my favorite subject, HABIT (particularly as it applies to goal achievement): The idea that a “mindless” behavior — a habit — can be crafted mindfully and intentionally to serve our highest and most important goals. That may require a re-read ; )

We hear “experts” in achievement and “success” all the time tell us that MINDFULNESS is the key to a great life and happiness. But, where does that leave room for habit? I once had a very popular speaker and author tell me he didn’t believe in habits. Consider that for a moment. Of course, what he was trying to emphasize is that he wanted to be mindful all the time.

To think that we must be mindful all the time is extremely dichotomous and, unfortunately, impossible. Not even the Dali Lama is mindful all the time. In fact, strap on your seat belt: His meditation practice is (you guessed it) a HABIT.

Until next time, embrace the duality and the oneness of it all ; )

~mg

Where To Aim When You’re Aiming For Your Goal

creative theory, creative vision, discipline, energy, goal theory, goals, Habit Alignment

Chances are good that you’ve heard the phrase “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” An entertaining thought and a fun quote attributed to many, including the late, great Norman Vincent Peale. (Author one of my early favorites; see The Power of Positive Thinking.)

While I like the quote, the thought helps to shed light upon an important idea for anyone striving to achieve their goals: where exactly to put your attention, to focus, shoot or aim. And, if you happened to read this past article or my latest book, The Pressure Paradox, then you already know the answer.

The answer is actually a bit paradoxical in nature: The achiever should be putting her attention and energy on both the near and the far. That is, the goal represents the destination and at the same time provides the juice, the energy and motivation needed to keep moving forward. Yet, 95% of the time (perhaps more), the attention and energy is directed upon the now — the daily behaviors, the habits that are near.

In fact, in The Habit Factor I underscore the importance of beginning — getting started and keeping a close focus on the here and now — with this fantastic statement from Jiddu Krishnamurti:

“To go far you must begin near, and the nearest step is the most important one.”

Without an intense focus on the daily corresponding behaviors, your habits, that vision isn’t likely to be achieved.

For instance, the vision of landing on the moon (the goal) creates powerful emotions that, when channeled properly, can drive the energies and behaviors in the now. Once the vision is clearly established, the majority of the energy must then be directed toward the actions in the present to help any person (or a team) realize their vision.

The student who has the vision of going to the great college should be encouraged to aim for that college — to retain that vision and believe it is possible. In fact, the hope is they become so excited about the possibility that they then immediately direct their energy upon the tasks at hand, such as developing the study habits that will help to make their college dream a reality.

The athlete who wants to play a sport for their favorite university must also align her habits — the more the better — to ensure they support her goal. For instance, it’s not likely to be enough to just work out and practice hard if you have poor dietary habits. The idea is to craft as many habits as possible that are in alignment with the goal, helping to ensure its outcome.

When it comes to habit alignment, the core four areas of focus are:

—1) Mind
—2) Body
—3) Spirit
—4) Social

So here’s a few question for you:

Is your vision clear? Can you see the goal and outcome vividly?

Do your daily behaviors — your existing habits — align with that goal? What new habits are you looking to align, and do they address all four quadrants?

Are you TRACKING (iOS, Android) these core behaviors to ensure they become habits?

Final thought:

This is not entirely what I had in mind at first when I heard of The Archer’s Paradox, but it applies nonetheless and it’s a terrific, educational video. Consider what happens when the arrow leaves the archer’s bow: Where is it directed, and how does it ultimately make it to its intended destination?

Enjoy!

Language, Logic & the True Meaning of Words

belief, creativity, goal, goal theory, goals, habits, learning

By: Martin Grunburg

In the last two posts we’ve reviewed the important relationship between habits and goals and how, unfortunately, their intertwined dynamic is still a bit revolutionary in its premise. (Please revisit the last two posts if you haven’t already read them!)

At first, it is semi-hard to fathom that a number of PhDs/psychologists have spent years, even decades, devoted to goal achievement theory (not to mention the hundreds of notable personal development ‘guru’s), and yet they have all somehow missed this significant relationship.

To be clear, while it has been acknowledged sparsely from the perspective of goals directing habit formation, the inverse — habit applied to drive goal achievement — as a strategy and methodology was not previously published prior to this. Thus, the recognized best practice for goal achievement, something identified as “S.M.A.R.T.” goals, leaves out the concept of habit entirely .

Here’s a great example (article) written for ForbesWoman featured about four years after The Habit Factor was introduced, “The Surprising Activity That Helps You Reach Your Goals.”

Surprise! ; )

What makes it so surprising, you may be wondering? That’s right — you can just jump to their last paragraph;

In business, we often praise goals and demonize habits. Employees are encouraged to “set an audacious goal” or try to “break a bad habit.” Maybe we’ve had the equation wrong all along. It’s a little bit ironic that the straightest line to achieving our goals may be to turn them into habits

Bold — courtesy of me.

Further, I want to underscore that this is NOT written to critique any of these smart people, but to point out a very important lesson (an inspiring one I think). That is, our language is what shapes our reasoning and logic.

Words mean whatever we’ve been taught they mean, what we associate with their meaning.

As much as I want this to be about habits and goals, there is a much larger lesson at play:

Language. Language. Language.

Language can either free us or constrict our creativity and problem solving.

Take the time to learn what words really mean.

“The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their proper name.” ~Confucius

When you do this you’ll begin to see the whole world differently.

If I ask you for an orange, you are not likely to hand me an apple. If I ask you to get in the back of my car, you aren’t likely to get into the front. Simply put, language directs our thinking, our reasoning and our logic. Therefore, the misunderstanding and misuse of words, regrettably, leads us down an incorrect path.

When was the last time you thought in Russian?

Chances are good that you’ve never thought in the Russian language if you don’t speak Russian.

So, if habit was for a pronounced period of time correlated only with negatives — smoking, drinking, drugs, biting nails, etc. — it is not likely to be correlated to goal achievement, and quiet clearly, for a very long time it wasn’t.

Even William James (as noted previously) in his Talks to Teachers at Harvard went to great lengths to redirect this (ironically) habitual thinking when it came to HABIT.

It is very important that teachers should realize the importance of habit, and psychology helps us greatly at this point. We speak, it is true, of good habits and of bad habits; but, when people use the word ‘habit,’ in the majority of instances it is a bad habit which they have in mind.

They talk of the smoking-habit and the swearing-habit and the drinking-habit, but not of the abstention-habit or the moderation-habit or the courage-habit.

But the fact is that our virtues are habits as much as our vices. All our life, so far as it has definite form, is but a mass of habits — practical, emotional, and intellectual — systematically organized for our weal or woe, and bearing us irresistibly toward our destiny, whatever the latter may be.”

I heard on this AOC podcast the other day an interview with Kabir Sehgal, the author of “Coined,” who investigated word origins to derive their full, true meaning. At around minute 31 he says:

“The word ‘thank’ comes from the word ‘think’ in ancient English, meaning, ‘I’ll remember what you did for me.'”

Prior to that he touches on the Japanese word for thank you, “arigatou,” which translates to “this difficult burden.”

So, I encourage you to learn the origin of words — their etymology and their original meanings — particularly for words and concepts that really interest you and relate to your most important goals and the problems you want to solve.

Sometimes the word itself — its origins and its most basic original meaning — may hold the solution you seek.

~mg

More: Goals and Habits, Goal Theory Simplified

creative theory, goal, goal theory, goals, Habit Alignment, habits, SMART Goals

Goals are important for a multitude of reasons, and yes, they are as important as habits. For more on this, please see the prior post. (link)

In fact, there is a powerful relationship between the two that has somehow been lost for a very long time (more on that below). Please recognize that goals help you to understand and appreciate what habits you must craft in order to achieve those goals. And, those positive habits, once crafted, help to drive the goal’s attainment much more quickly.

If the goal is to be a better person (probably not the most well-articulated goal, but we’ll go with it nonetheless), the habits you might begin to track and develop would revolve around service and kindness to others (for starters).

If your goal is to be a great soccer player, your habits would encompass fitness, skills, and footwork, to name a few.

The point is that the GOAL itself will illuminate the habits you’ll need to achieve that goal.

It’s a bit hard to believe, but this practical and seemingly commonsense process for goal achievement did not exist as a published theory prior to The Habit Factor’s publication in 2010. And, even with it now being more than five years old, and having some modest popularity, it’s still somewhat nouveau.

Here is a video I produced about a year after The Habit Factor® was published (still five years ago); in it you’ll note that I point out how the word “habit” is missing from Wikipedia’s “Goal Achievement Theory” page.

Again, that was almost five years ago, and if you were to check Wikipedia even today that word, “habit,” is still missing.

Check out this article and some interesting points re: Goal achievement Theory.

Screen Shot 2016-03-07 at 9.34.02 AM

Again, not a single mention of the word “Habit“.

Screen Shot 2016-03-07 at 9.34.41 AM

I am confident that this will change soon (of course I said that five years ago, so soon is relative apparently).

Here are a few fascinating paragraphs/sentences (screenshots above) that read:

“Edwin A. Locke began to examine goal setting for over thirty years.” And, this is where it gets “fun” — notice the next sentence: “Locke derived the idea for goal-setting from Aristotle’s form of final causality. Aristotle speculated that purpose can cause action; thus, Locke began researching the impact goals have on human activity.”

So, why do I say that is “fun” or maybe even “funny”? Well, consider that “purpose” really just equates to one’s goal (ambition and direction) and “action” could easily equate to one’s habit— that is, repeated actions become habit.

That’s right! We quickly recognize that we’ve come full-circle — how our goals help to determine what behaviors/habits we ought to develop AND, at the same time provide the motivation to develop that new behavior/habit.

What is a bit amazing (or, strange) is this idea that after 30 plus years of research dedicated to Goal Theory, habit had been overlooked and omitted as one of the FIVE principles Locke identified (below). Yes, Locke is the man behind the S.M.A.R.T. Goal Setting process.

Here are the five principles for your review:

Clarity
Goals should be clear, unambiguous, measurable, and have definite completion times.

Challenge
Challenging goals help drive people to work harder to achieve them. (See: The Theory of Goal Setting & Task Performance)

Commitment
Ownership of a goal enhances the likelihood of its accomplishment. Organizations should encourage employees to craft goals for themselves that are consistent with the organization’s own goals.

Feedback
Feedback is required to assess one’s progress. Feedback might be from yourself or from other people.

Task complexity
Highly complex goals can become overwhelming for people. For such goals, people need to be provided sufficient time to work toward the goal, improve performance, practice, or learn what is necessary for success.

These are all excellent criteria or principles. Again, SMART goals is a great process, as well. However, it is truly a mistake for anyone (going forward) not to identify the habits that will help them more quickly achieve their goal and begin to diligently craft and track those habits. The absence of habit from goal achievement theory has come to an end… ; ) I’m sure of it.

The interesting thing is, with slightly different language/synonyms, “habit alignment” truly has its roots with Aristotle who, for various other reasons, is all over The Habit Factor book anyway.

More to come,

~mg

Are Habits Better Than Goals? Are Goals Bad?

creativity, energy, goal, goal theory, goals, Habit Alignment, habits, learning, PARR Methodology

I recently received an email from an uber-successful entrepreneur. This lady has a multi-million-dollar company and she’s a mentor and coach for other entrepreneurs.

However, given some of the recent articles on the Internet she’s read about goal achievement, she was wondering if perhaps having a group of entrepreneurs set goals for themselves might be harmful. She asked my thoughts.

Do you think it’s useful to set goals that are related to company revenue?

Example: Goal to hit $1 million in sales in 2016.

Some articles are saying that setting a company goal like this can cause a feeling of failure, since actually hitting this goal is out of our control. I have always set goals like this in my company and it’s how I grew.

It’s a bit crazy to continually see and/or hear about this concept of “Habits vs. Goals.”

BTW: You’d think, being often referred to as “the habits guy,” that I would love to see and hear this sort of meme. However I don’t, and here’s why.

To put it simply, it’s illogical and dichotomous. One isn’t “better” than the other. And, it’s probably important to note that such a mindset isn’t supportive of what The Habit Factor represents or promotes anyway: A process that includes habit alignment, where one designs and establishes habits that are supportive of a goal in order to achieve that goal more quickly.

If people start believing GOALS are “bad,” or it’s “Goals vs Habits,” then they don’t have a destination or target to aim for. And, without a goal, it takes much of the juice (motivation/desire) out of the habit development process; the desire to develop the habit becomes somewhat impotent.

According to Dr. Stephen Covey, three things are required for habit development: Knowledge, Skill & Desire. The desire is often supplied by the goal — that provides the juice! To understand the P.A.R.R. habit development process, see this post.

Screen Shot 2016-03-03 at 10.07.57 AM

Screen Shot 2016-03-03 at 9.58.59 AM

It’s simply NOT an either/or proposition when it comes to habits and goals. Habits serve goals and goals serve habits.

Each (it could be argued) is equally valuable, and I suspect that is by design. It’s easy to understand how having a goal could help you to identify what habits you should set out to develop. And, once established, those habits help you more quickly achieve your goal.

The child who has the goal of becoming a pianist — well, she develops the habit of playing piano. The runner who has the goal of becoming a marathoner? Correct! He develops the habit of running. The writer who wants to become a published author develops the habit of writing.

HABIT SERVES GOAL ACHIEVEMENT.

So, in response to her email I wrote,

It is VERY useful (in my experience) to still set the goal. It is true, many things are beyond one’s control. However, the goal is just something to aim for / a scoreboard / a result / a target. As you know, it’s the process, strategy and the HABITs that will help one get there.

Postscript:

Granted, this video (link) and the post itself is probably a bit more about a book promotion and less about philosophy of goals and achievement. However, as you watch this video (from a couple of “influencers”), it’s easy to see how the “goals are bad” message becomes popularized. And, since these guys are smart, I’d like to think it’s important to them as well to share this important understanding and relationship.

Who knows — maybe even to promote it. Some day. ; )

~mg

Take away paradox from the thinker and you have a professor.” – Soren Kierkegaard

Struggling to Achieve Your Goals? You May Be Surprised by What’s Missing

belief, creativity, goal, goal theory, goals, Habit Alignment, habits, pressure

By: Martin Grunburg

Both habit and goal achievement require the following three components:
1) Knowledge
2) Skills (often in the form of habits )
3) Desire

Which of the three can only YOU bring to the table?

That’s correct. Someone else may be able to share with you the skills you’ll need or even the knowledge required, but only YOU can bring the desire.

Not to oversimplify this, but time and again when a person falls short of a goal, the problem most often appears to lie with a lack of sincere desire. With the right level of desire, the habits and skills become forged and the knowledge is acquired. Without intense desire, little happens.

I call it “sincere” desire because here’s the thing: Someone is likely to say, “That’s B.S.! I want to be rich. I know I desire it!”

Really? The proof, as this Indian proverb goes (below), is in your deeds.

As is your desire, so is your will.
As is your will, so is your deed.
As is your deed,
so is your destiny.
—The Upanishads

What have your deeds been today, or yesterday, or last week? How many books on wealth and money have you read and applied? (Great Tony Robbins book, BTW.) How many courses have you taken on wealth (Eker’s site) and money (Phil Town) What free resources have you found (listen to this interview w/ Eker on Knowledge For Men). What do your spending and saving habits (again, repetitive deeds) look like?

Desire is a “funny” thing because, if followed by actionable intention, it is likely to create pain, or to use its synonym, pressure, as you strive and make progress toward a goal.

“Without a sense of urgency,” Jim Rohn used to say, “desire loses its value.” Remember that a sense of urgency creates PRESSURE. And, you guessed it, deadlines create pressure.

“A dream with a deadline is a goal.”

The point is that your lack of habit development or goal achievement is NOT because you’re missing willpower or discipline.

You may not readily admit it, but I suspect (whatever the goal you’re not achieving or new habit you’re not forging) it’s because you’re far too comfortable with the way things currently are. That’s right, you’re only interested in the desired outcome, but you’re certainly not committed to it.

I had no intent when I started this post to lean toward The Pressure Paradox, but you can see how unavoidable that relationship really is. In fact, in The Pressure Paradox I cite a fun parable about the Chicken and Pig as it relates to the difference between committed and interested. I’m sure some of you are already familiar with it; if not, you can read it here.

Back to DESIRE

In order to truthfully inspect the desire level, we need only look as far as our actions (or deeds), as the Indian proverb goes. Desire can always be found in two places: one’s habits and one’s results.

Is it possible that your desire level could be a 10 and yet your results could still suck?

Yep. But typically not for too long. Remember the other ingredient is knowledge — and over time, the knowledge would begin to shift, and so would the corresponding skills and habits, assuming the desire does not waiver. It’s desire that is the driver.

Countless times have I seen an entrepreneur doing almost everything wrong (poor knowledge, bad skills), but they made up for it with an intense drive — a sincere desire to attain their goal. Time and again, that component alone (assuming they continued to make adjustments/refinements versus quitting) tends to be enough!

So, to check your desire levels, you need only look as far as your habits and your current results. Perhaps those results, if they are not enough, will ignite your desire and truly set you off on a life-changing, goal-achievement journey.

Desire-up!

~mg

10 Reasons You Are Way Better Than You Think You Are

belief, goal theory, goals, self esteem, vision

By: Martin Grunburg

Following a recent entrepreneur group meeting, I was chatting with a few of the participants and our discussion weaved from sports to business and seemingly everything in between. At one point, a lawyer — a very bright entrepreneur — started to recount some particular struggles related to new business growth.

I think I interrupted him (I need to get better at that), and I asked, “Tell me, why would any prospect or lead select you/your firm over any other lawyer who specializes in the same thing?”

Again, this guy is very smart, perhaps too smart for his own good, so he looked at me, shrugged his shoulders a little and said, “You know, the honest truth is that we’re probably not any different.”

On one hand I got it; I understood where he was going with that sentiment. However, on the other hand, it pissed me off a little. Really!? YOU are NO better? Come on, you know that isn’t true! And, by the way, if it is true you might as well just close up shop!

So, I pressed him, demanding and assuring him at the same time that HE and his firm were very different. “First of all,” I exclaimed, “none of those firms have YOU!” As I began to encourage and prod him for a few other differences, he sat up a little straighter. “Well,” he said, “we just won an amazing case that I’m not sure any other firm could have won!” Then, he went on to cite two or three other exciting and compelling differences about his company.

“Perfect! That’s it!” I almost yelled. His confidence grew.

Then, I shared with him that I could really relate to where he was coming from — his humility. In the world in which we (and probably you) grew up, we were encouraged to be humble and never boastful. However, I explained to him that I’ve recently started to recognize in this crazy, online and social media world, it’s imperative that you first stand out and then quickly explain why you are better. In fact, it’s an exercise he really should undertake immediately (similar to the VALUEs exercise in this new year’s post PDF) that should be performed by you and your employees.

Don’t you think you and your employees should be able to cite at least a handful of reasons why you/your company is superior to the competition? Not because you’re bragging, but because it fires you up — gives you a reason to get up in the morning.

Future clients are constantly looking for help to make their decision, and here’s the key — quickly. They truly need help understanding why you are better and/or different from the competition. If you are unable to quickly recite and display your superiority, then how can you expect them to know you’re the right choice? Simply put, prospects want to feel great about selecting you over someone else.

Now, most business coaches will confuse this idea with the USP (the unique selling proposition), but what I’m suggesting is different. The USP is client-facing first. What I’m talking about is internally facing first — listing the top 10 reasons you are better, awesome and different.

If you’re not familiar with the USP, here are a couple of examples that you may recognize:

“Your pizza delivered in 30 minutes or less or it’s free.” Or, “When it absolutely positively has to be there overnight.”

Both of these USPs have done such a great job distinguishing their respective companies that I don’t even have to cite who they are.

Beyond the USP

While these are solid examples of the USP, I’m suggesting you list the Top Ten Reasons why you are the best, different and awesome! I know, it’s hard for some of us to say we are awesome ; ). But, again, this isn’t about YOU (a bit paradoxically isn’t it); it’s only about you for the benefit of the client, and maybe your self-esteem and self-worth!

This list should be so compelling that it fires you up to fight for your clients — NOT for the money, but because you know your product or service is the best, and if they selected anyone else, it would do them a terrible disservice!

So, leaving the meeting, the lawyer told me he’d be emailing me his Top 10 list right away.

The question for you is, Where’s your list?

To help get you going, here are some starter questions:

Why did you start the business?
What is the biggest win/victory to date by you/your company related to your product or service?
Can you identify three things that are unique about YOU/your personality?
What are some of the best client testimonials you have received?
What lives have been touched/changed by your company?

In the next post I’ll give you the Top 10 reasons why The Habit Factor is hand’s down the most awesome, untouchable and absolutely, positively the best habit tracker, methodology and platform for habit development, goal achievement and personal development.

Really.

Pass it on and keep it humble.

; ).

-mg

DRSeuss-5

The Mystery of Creativity: Synthetic Imagination and Creative Vision

creative theory, creativity, goal theory, goals, habits, learning, synthetic imagination

By: Martin Grunburg

Let’s pick things up where we left off in the last post about creativity.

The Two Types of Creativity

Napoleon Hill, author of Think & Grow Rich, often referenced two types of creativity as something he’d learned from Thomas Edison, among the most prolific creators of all time: synthetic imagination and something described as creative vision.

Between the two, creative vision is far more rare and is the application of an entirely new, creative and fresh idea. A great example Hill often used was Edison’s breakthrough insight for the light bulb as he awoke from one of his famous catnaps.

Incredibly, the solution to his most pressing and persistent problem of the moment (how to prevent the filament from burning out in his light bulb) came to him in a creative vision (you might call it). The hot, glowing coals mostly covered with dirt would continue to burn long after the other wood had been entirely consumed by the fire.

This was the answer!

Edison sat straight up with amazement, astonished he’d not realized the solution sooner!

Can you see how that vision helped him solve his problem?

Synthetic imagination, as Hill described it, is the combination of one or more existing inventions, products or ideas that, when combined in a unique way, would fabricate or “synthesize” to form a new invention.

For instance, the garbage bag (liner, trash bag) is a good example of synthetic imagination. A synthetic solution combining the garbage can and plastic. Or, the iPod, creating a music player like a “walkman” and utilizing a small computer hard drive to play MP3 files.

The list of synthetic imagination inventions is truly endless, for each new invention births the potential for dozens of offspring!

The UBER-ization of Businesses

Uber might be considered creative vision — a fresh insight and solution to urban travel. Or, you could make the case that it is synthetic imagination, combining “on demand” services with the taxicab industry. Either way, for purposes of this discussion, the real synthetic imagination as it relates to Uber has only just begun!

Dozens of industries are looking to Uber-ize and provide a similar on-demand solution within their services industry — from health care to dog-walking and equipment repair — in an attempt to differentiate and break away from their competition.

Here is a great article in Forbes and another in The New York Times. I’m still amazed that I haven’t noticed any IT home or business solutions providers who’ve Uber-ized their services just yet.

All This Talk of Synthetic Imagination Leads Us to: “Stealing Like an Artist”

While I have not read this book (sharing said name), I’ve heard great things about it and, as you might guess, I’m a fan of the general concept. In fact, whether it’s mentioned in the book or not, to “Steal Like an Artist” is really the essence of synthetic imagination.

In my experience, many/most people may be familiar with the quote but aren’t exactly certain what it means. I can only presume that the above saying is attributed to Picasso, who famously once commented, “Good artists copy and great artists steal.”

What does that mean to you?

Here’s what it means to me: If something is a copy it’s a direct duplicate, a clone, easy to identify as a copy. However, when something is stolen, it is obfuscated — hidden and not obvious. Further, upon detection you are only likely to find component parts (maybe) that have been synthesized together to create a new vision, product or service.

Hence, good artists copy and great artists steal. A great artist, I think Picasso is suggesting, is an inspiration for a new, fresh and different spine or vision on an old idea. A great artist won’t immediately be recognized as a copycat because he or she is producing some original value while “borrowing” some inspiration and insight.

In business and personal ventures, while striving to achieve your goals, be ready for fresh insight — creative vision — and stay attuned to what surrounds you to let synthetic imagination organically occur — just don’t get caught stealing.

10 Reasons You Are Way Better Than You Think You Are

The Magic of Breakthrough Ideas: Spark Creativity, Solve Problems and Smash Through Standard Industry Thinking