There’s only one way to get whatever you want in life, according to Mel Robbins. She says that every human being has five seconds to move from an idea, an intention, a thought, or the knowledge that they must do something to take the action to do it: “You have about a five-second window in which you can move from idea to action before your brain kicks into full gear and sabotages any change in behavior.” (Robbins, 2017).
Your brain is hardwired to protect you–to stop you from doing things that are uncomfortable and scary. Your job is to learn how to move your ideas that could change things in your life, into action. It’s simple: count backward from five to one and, like Robbin’s rocket launching metaphor, get out of bed instead of hitting the snooze button, cross the room to network with that person you’d like to meet, and even do the little everyday things that require action from a decision. We often fail to take this action that could advance us in our lives and boost our productivity.
It’s about outsmarting your own brain!When you feel passionate about something, you feel motivated to start doing it. You wouldn’t even think about plunging into a lake to save your drowning child, nor would you think twice before jumping away from an oncoming car when crossing the street. Yet, there is so much mental chatter about which we’re not aware that gets between us and acting. It sabotages us before we can even make a decision to go forward. Effectively, it decides for us.
Applying the 5-Second Rule by counting down from five to one, interrupts long-entrenched patterns of behavior that we do on autopilot. Like saying “Ready, set, go!” before a race, it’s a starting ritual that triggers you to shift gears. It prompts you to have the confidence and courage to stop thinking about something and take action to do it. Ultimately, this is how you can be productive and reach your life goals.
How can you apply Mel Robbins’ 5-Second Rule (www.youtube.com/watch?v=nI2VQ-ZsNr0) to your life?
I’m pressing the post button now: 5-4-3-2-1!