The following contains excerpts from the book, The Habit Factor (Martin Grunburg).
At our music school in Odessa, Texas we believe that music is much more than mere sound, rather, it is relationships. In the following discussion of habits, there is a correlation to the subject of Leadership, as the first step towards successful leadership begins with leading one’s self well. At our music school in Odessa, Texas we see great value in helping students acquire discipline, routine, and focus in core basics, as this is the only way to achieve mastery in one’s craft. By extension, these lessons will apply in highly beneficial ways in every aspect of their lives.
The book’s opening pages contain several quotes: “You cannot live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.” (John Wooden) “It makes no small difference to be habituated this way or that way straight from childhood, but an enormous difference, or rather all the difference.” (Aristotle, 342 BC)
Introduction
In the author’s preface, he states that his intention with the book is to replace our generally negative idea of the word, ‘habit’ with a positive one, “the recognition that the fastest way to achieve your goals is via the intentional crafting and alignment of supportive habits.”
He admits that “The Habit Factor is about habits. However, it’s also about climbing into the captain’s chair of our subconscious, looking out over the horizon and identifying not just our life goals, but truly understanding and becoming highly aware of our current habits. It’s about recognizing the incredible correlation between our own achievements and our habits.”
His ideas are simply stated in an acronym: “START (Simple Today Actions Repeated & Tracked). Focus your energies on getting started, today (now)…Your first responsibility is to get into the habit of constantly refining your habits of thought and action…It’s the smallest of actions (compounded via repetition) over time that yields the largest rewards. This comes only through patience, diligence and perseverance.”
“From my experience, the happiest people I’ve ever met are the most responsible people- that is, they take ownership of their circumstances and their condition. Responsibility is an essential attribute of happiness; it’s the core foundation of happiness…When you craft constructive habits, you serve yourself, your community and ultimately the planet. Responsibility and ownership ultimately fall upon the individual. Hence, the best way to improve the world can only be to improve yourself…aligning your intentions and habits…You’ve raised the sails of your subconscious, and now they will continue to work in your favor even when you are not consciously performing your actions.”
At our music school in Odessa, Texas we value daily disciplines that develop core competencies, and even the smallest success in growth on a daily basis will yield and exponential harvest, through patience and commitment.
The Scientific
“The reality is, the habits we possess- or fail to possess- wield significant influence over us and go far deeper than just our daily routines. Our habits affect every aspect of our lives and have a ripple effect that impacts not just us but our friends and family. Ultimately, habits shape our destiny…the definition and Latin root of the word ‘habit’ is most fascinating: ‘condition or character.’ Your current condition and your character are the sum of your habits to this moment.”
We want students in our music school in Odessa, Texas to value the habits they develop to the extent that they weave them into their lives to a point they don’t have to think too much about them. This way, they become part of who they are, rather than having to re-initiate processes every day.
“The limbic system, often alluded to as the ‘emotional brain,’ is part of our forebrain that is buried within the cerebrum…Our limbic structures are designed for routine tasks, not new challenges…The limbic system processes routine tasks quickly, without conscious thought, and the executive brain handles the challenges of new tasks…The brain has two major structural and functional components: the thinking brain (neocortex) and the feeling/emotional brain (limbic cortex).”
“Learning something and figuring it out for the first time involves the cognitive system, or the prefrontal cortex. But ounce that sequence becomes habit, the habit takes over. In habit mode, you just do it…because you’ve always just done it. Habits, then, should be viewed as stored solution or even thought energy made efficient. Just be sure you are storing/memorizing the correct solutions.”
This is the value of training students in our music school in Odessa, Texas. It is impossible to mentally think of everything that goes on during a performance or a creative endeavor. Instead, artists must rely on pre-preparation and deep system-training, so that preparation comes out without hinderance during the moment of creativity or performance.
“Much of our daily behaviors are habitual, performed without cognitive thought and usually related to a series of subtle cues. These cues tend to fall into four general categories: a specific location or time of day, a series of actions, the company of specific people or particular moods…One sure way to be more successful at cultivating habits is to involve the other senses.”
“Know that your best bet in removing any bad habit is to replace it with a favorable one. When you do this, you’re following Willian James’ …profound statement: ‘The great thing in all of education is to make our nervous system our ally instead of our enemy.’”
“Dr. Maxwell Maltz…originally a plastic surgeon…noticed that after about 21 days amputees began to cease feeling phantom sensations in the amputated limb…Dr. Maltz found a pattern emerging: The human mind appeared to take almost exactly 21 days to adapt to a life change, whether it’s a negative…or a positive…Today, neuroplasticity (which suggests the brain is malleable based upon experience throughout one’s life) is a new and developing science, where formerly, theories suggested the brain was immutable after the developing stages of childhood…The essence of Dr. Maltz’s technique is to simply devote 15 minutes a day to the formation of any habit, and perform it faithfully for 21 days. By the fourth week, the new habit should be so rooted that it will be harder not to engage in it than to continue doing it.”
“I’ve noticed, both personally and with people I’ve worked with, that some habits take longer to develop (three months or more). I’ve also notice that habits can be developed with ‘gaps’ – days of non-habit behavior. In fact, a key attribute in The Habit Factor’s methodology is the ability to identify ‘target’ days that, contrary to Maltz’s theory, allow for habit formation without the successive-day requirement…the most important factor in the formation of any habit is consistency over time.”
In order to help students acquire successful habits, in our music school in Odessa, Texas, it is highly valuable to have teachers who are able to give immediate feedback to the student, as well as helpful guidance and refinement of habits that are being established.