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Go!
A few weeks ago, I listened to a fascinating School of Greatness podcast with Mel Robbins. Mel is a TV host and wrote a book called The 5 Second Rule. She highlights how hesitation and fear get in the way of controlling our minds and actions.
Here is the link to the podcast on Spotify if you are interested: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5wN4dIsYWZNPOwYBkYhLPa?si=cYuDwNvqQviTCN0eftwwXg
Here is the link to her popular TED talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/mel_robbins_how_to_stop_screwing_yourself_over?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare
I know that I find myself falling prey to my thoughts. I can be swayed by how I’m feeling or what I’m thinking at one point in time. Her 5 second rule helps you control your mind and your actions instead of succumbing to the fear and delays that your brain puts in your head every minute. She states that 95% of our decisions are made based on feelings, so the 5 second rule helps gain control over our feelings.
In her Ted talk Mel says there is one fact for every area of your life that you want to change: you are never going to feel like it. “If you listen to how you feel when it comes to what you want, you will not get it because you will never feel like it.”
The first few seconds of getting up in the morning stink, but once you are up you feel great and are proud of yourself. You never want to reach out for coffee to meet someone in your company, but you feel better after you do.
You have 5 seconds to follow an impulse or you will not do it. You must act in some type of physical manner within 5 seconds to follow through or you won’t do it.
When you hesitate, you tell your mind that something is wrong. You increase the fear of the task in front of you. When you count down and focus on the numbers you are counting down, you decrease the hesitation that leads to greater fear. The 5 second rule helps use your prefrontal cortex and take actions toward what scares you.
Where are you slowing yourself down? What do you need to take action towards every single day? Count down from 5 to get out of bed in the morning. Count down from 5 to make the next cold call. Count down from 5 to go and talk to someone you want to get to know.
Where do you need to apply the 5 second rule in your life this week? This year? Let’s start 2020 with a bang.
I encourage you find one word for 2020 to live into instead of choosing a New Year’s resolution or on top of a New Year’s resolution. Check out my recent post to find your word: https://jaredpeters.co/2019/12/16/one-word-12-15-19/
I appreciate you.
-JP