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)
The Esoteric
The author discusses the ‘habits’ of nature itself, using the Phi ratio of balance and proportion. He discusses ‘circadian rhythms’ in nature, as well as in the human experience. The author asserts that moments of ‘higher intellect’ and creativity are associated with how peaceful our brains become during sleep, showing the following table:
Frequency Range Name Usually associated with:
>40 Hz Gamma waves Higher mental activity, including perception, problem
solving, fear, and consciousness
13-39 Hz Beta waves Active, busy or anxious thinking and active
concentration, arousal, cognition
7-13 Hz Alpha waves Relaxation (while awake), pre-sleep and pre-wake
drowsiness
4-7 Hz Theta waves Dreams, deep meditation, REM sleep
<4 Hz Delta waves Deep dreamless sleep, loss of body awareness
The author believes that the ability to observe patterns and behavior is essential in our relationships, even in non-verbal cues. “In fact, chances are that the better you are at recognizing subtle non-verbal habit cues, the more successful your interpersonal relationships are. Non-verbal communication reportedly accounts for upwards of 90 percent of all our interpersonal communication. So, it’s this sort of understanding of non-verbal cues that triggers our internal ‘gut’ feeling when a person is telling us one thing, yet their body language demonstrates something altogether different.”
At our music school in Odessa, Texas we teach students the value of music and the arts as not only emotional in their essence but also in the value of patterns. Pattern-awareness in music and the arts is similar to the beauty we see in nature all around us. When the human brain perceives beauty, it is most always related to the awareness of patterns.
“Obviously, we all know about sleep as a circadian rhythm, but other examples include menstrual cycles, body temperature, blood pressure, and the production of hormones and digestive juices. These circadian rhythms are not unique to humans, but are part of the makeup of many other organisms, with the simplest being the lowly cyanobacteria…If the universe is one song, rhythm must be its language…Rhythm and song also tap into the realm of the spiritual…Churches sing hymns, African tribes chant…not only do rhythm and music create a setting of comfort and familiarity, but more importantly, they are a form of communication, a means for humans to tap into our creative and spiritual source.”
At our music school in Odessa, Texas, we teach students to understand that the very universe itself is vibrating frequency. Participation in music and the arts is to play with the very structural elements of the universe.
“People all over the world are able to recognize the opening bars of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. Music has always been a part of the human experience…In the human species…few things come hardwired, and one of them is our inclination to see, impose and create patterns whether they are music or behavioral. So, while we are not hardwired with habits themselves- we are hardwired with the ability to create our habits. This is a miraculous gift, whether we appreciate it or not.”
“Since the dawn of mankind, we have created a world of symbolism. In fact, our symbols help to explain the world around us…Aristotle observed that while intellectual virtue primarily originates in teaching, ‘Moral virtue comes about as a result of habit…In Aristotle’s words, ‘We are adapted by nature to receive virtues and are made perfect by habit.’ Such moral habits are not acquired via intellectual commitment, but rather by actually performing these habits. According to Aristotle, ultimately, we condition ourselves via our habits. Over time, these habits become our ‘second nature’ and forge our character, which ends up modulating and conditioning our emotional condition.”
Teaching students at our music school in Odessa, Texas to perceive and to create patterns is one of the most profound things they can learn.
“Recall it was Einstein who said that, ‘Imagination is more important than knowledge.’ Naturally, those who work to master their creative intelligence rely on their intuition more often, are more confident about which goals to go after and are more in tune with a ‘calling’ that leads them to new pursuits and passions. Interestingly, they also appear to be best in tune with when to rest and recharge, as creativity demands energy.”
“So it becomes rather apparent that true intelligence isn’t the ability to regurgitate information. Real intelligence is identified through applied imagination and curiosity, where circumstances are turned into opportunities through explored and unlimited possibilities. Ultimately, it is creative intelligence and adaptability, not static knowledge, which serves as the highest form of intelligence. This is where opportunity and value reside in abundance. The conscious and the subconscious, by definition, must overlap.”
There are different kinds of intelligence. At our music school in Odessa, Texas we believe that the study of music and the arts is highly beneficial in deep cognitive functioning, through the ability to correlate pattern awareness. This kind of intelligence is not normally attested to in modern education, but is an often overlooked key ingredient to profoundly intuitive intelligence.