“The 5 Second Rule: The moment you have an instinct to act on a goal you must 5-4-3-2-1 and physically move or your brain will stop you.” ~ Mel Robbins
A few weeks ago I was at a local urgent care getting a COVID test since we had been out of state taking our son to college and I ran into a friend who is actually a well-known author and public speaker, Mel Robbins. I had been wanting to read her book but just hadn’t “gotten around to it”. After seeing her I said, “That’s it, I’m ordering her book as soon as I get home!”
It turns out that what I did was exactly what her book, The 5 Second Rule, is about. We often let life get in the way or we let our emotions get in the way. Mel’s “5 Second Rule” is to count backwards from five and then act. This practice interrupts our habitual pattern of always letting our feelings run the show.
Mel first came up with the strategy to stop hitting the snooze button every morning. She committed to herself that when the alarm went off she would say, “5-4-3-2-1, go!” She got out of bed before her mind could tell her something different.
Often our decisions are made by our feelings and they are usually not aligned with what is best. Use the “5 Second Rule” today. If you are in a meeting and are thinking of sharing an idea—5-4-3-2-1 speak up and share. If you have been wanting to have that difficult conversation with a loved one—5-4-3-2-1, have it.
Replace the chatter in your mind with courage. 5-4-3-2-1 GO!
