The 5 Second Rule For Success: Jumpstart Your Life
Often times, we find ourselves lost in a purgatory of fear, self doubt, and uncertainty. These feelings foster procrastination and inhibit any kind of forward progress in our lives. Rather than moving forward with confidence, we let our ideas and dreams marinate in the back of our minds, without acting on them.
What is holding us back? Why can’t we drop everything and put into motion the exact thoughts and ideas that we have been tirelessly planning in great detail within our imaginations for months?
The truth is that these ongoing negative behaviors are part of human nature. They are the result of habits that we have built over time that have become second nature to us. Our bodies have begun making these poor decisions on autopilot before we even have the chance to intervene.
These ongoing behaviors have become etched into our brains and neuropathways as habit loops. So, how then do we interrupt these habit loops?
That is where The 5 Second Rule comes into play.
The five second rule can be applied by simply counting down from 5 to 1 in your head when you need to take immediate action. Whether it be getting out of the bed in the morning, pushing yourself to get started on a task, convincing yourself not to eat that brownie, and so on, this rule is perfect for you. Regardless of what small task you are trying to begin or habit that you are looking to break, the five second rule can be your ticket to success.
“Ideally, you use The 5 Second Rule in moments where you need courage to push through hesitation or to stop a habit that is continually getting the best of you.” — Mel Robbins
I know what you are thinking, this is the biggest gimmick that I have ever heard of. Well, although it does seem overly simplistic, it has been backed by science through various research. Let’s look at how and why it has worked for so many:
When you are trying to break a habit, take action, or change a behavior, you need to activate your prefrontal cortex. When you are lying in bed (after having hit the snooze button six times), you are allowing your physiological instincts to act uninterrupted in response to your exhaustion. You have hit the snooze all your life without major consequences, why not hit it again?
If you apply The 5 Second Rule, when your alarm goes off, count in your head “5,4,3,2,1” and spring out of bed (don’t believe me, see for yourself tomorrow morning).
The 5 Second Rule is so incredibly simple, yet it will allow you to reprogram the habits you are so desperately looking to break. I stumbled upon this rule by accident, but it is already helping me to transform my life in many ways. If I find myself about to embark on a social media binge, I count 5,4,3,2,1 and put my phone down. If I have been putting off a task that I know needs to be completed, I count 5,4,3,2,1 and proceed to meet the task head on.
This is not rocket science. It is a simple tool that can give you the extra push to start living the life you want and deserve.
Life is a culmination of small, every day decisions that are stacked one on top of another on top of another. If you commit to this rule, fully expect the gap between your current life and your desired life to merge as you begin to waste less time thinking and contemplating what you could be or the life you could have.
So give it a try. It’s as easy as 5,4,3,2,1.
Learn more about the five second rule in Mel Robbin’s book The 5 Second Rule: Transform your Life, Work, and Confidence with Everyday Get Your Copy Here
