I have been having writers block when it comes to something construction related to write about So, I figured I would switch gears and share about a book I have been reading… for the third time. You would think after the first two times the principals would stick.
The Five Second Rule by Mel Robbins.
Mel was going through a difficult season in life. Financial trouble. A troubled marriage. Failed businesses. To say life was a bit strained would be a complete understatement. Mel struggled with depression and drinking. Every night she would tell herself that the next day she would get up early and get started on pulling her life back together.
The alarm would go off, morning had come and the same thing would happen. She would roll over, turn it off, and go back to sleep. Nothing started on time. She was late to meetings and ran behind all day long.
Skipping through a lot of medical jargon and research that she dug into, Mel coined the 5 second rule. You tell yourself, 5-4-3-2-1 MOVE. You don’t rely on feelings. You act. You move.
When you act you’ll be using behavior to impact how you feel, instead of hoping that your feelings will encourage you act. Lets face it, our feelings lie to us, misguide us and delay our actions.
We are not always going to feel motivated. We are not always going want to do that task we have been putting off. Tomorrow will never happen and things are not going to be the right time.
You have to rewire your brain and the way you respond tp situations. You have to stop the negative self talk and start focusing on the actions thay will lead to the destination.
“That sounds really hard to do.”
“What if I fail?”
“I’ve tried this before and didn’t follow through. What makes me think I’ll follow through this time?”
“It’s going to take a lot of work.”
“Maybe I’m not smart enough to do this.”
“What if I make a fool of myself?”
These negative thoughts lead to avoidance. What you need to do is skip over those negative thoughts. Tell them to take a hike!
That’s where the 5 second rule comes in.
When you count backward– 5 4 3 2 1 – the brain stops thinking (because it’s concentrating on counting backwards), just for a few seconds. But those few seconds are enough to start acting.
The 5 second rule is a simple rule you can start using right away. The more you use it, the better it works. Soon you’ll start associating the countdown from 5 to 1 with taking action, and it will become automatic. Give it a shot. Start small and simple. Set yourself up for success.
5-4-3-2-1 Move!
