Have you heard of the 5-second rule? (No, I am not talking about the 5-second rule for food dropped on the floor.) Call it whatever you want – your motivation, drive, or discipline – but this rule can be a total game-changer in that department. I’ve talked about this in the past, and come back to it time after time because it is SO IMPORTANT for your results.
Yes, it’s true: your success can come down to as little as 5 seconds, according to author Mel Robbins, who wrote an entire book about it! Here’s how the rule works. The moment you get a “spark” to do something that will help you move closer towards your goals – you count 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 … and then you DO IT!
That brief countdown is the amount of time it can take for your brain to kill your best motivations.
There’s a part of your brain that HATES change – it likes to stay in its little comfort zone (even if you no longer find that zone very comfy).
But if you are able to TAKE ACTION before it can stop you, you WIN!
As an example: Let’s say you are about to sit on the couch to watch TV, and you have the goal of being more active. You suddenly think, “It’s nice out. I should go for a walk.”
If you say 5-4-3-2-1- and right away put on those sneakers to go for a walk, your brain won’t have time to respond with, “Nah, I’m feeling tired – I think I’ll just veg out here instead.”
Makes sense, right?
It’s basically the same as Nike’s tagline: Just Do It. It gets you out of your head and spurs you into ACTION.
Which is perfect, because that’s where the change happens!
Try it for yourself. The best part is, over time it builds on itself as you start to see firsthand how well it works.
Up for giving it a try today? In case you’re struggling with motivation and need help in getting back on track, I can definitely help you with that please text me at 916-235-3453 so we can set up a FREE goal mapping session asap.
Make it an amazing day,
Christina
7 Comments
This is a wonderful trick! I already applied it a minute ago and it WORKED!!! Nike’s tag line should be revised to You have 5 seconds to Just Do…
We’re going to use this countdown now too! What a great technique to trick the mind… can I use it on my folks?
I think I have the hardest time with the part of my brain that doesn’t like change!
I love this and so smart as it is true…. when you were talking about thinking of going for a walk and just getting into action and going before giving yourself the time to talk yourself out of it…. so very true and I appreciate the reminder! I always am so glad that I worked out after having done it and that is the reason I just jump to action when I am about to go walking, running, bike riding or hiking 😉
I have only heard of the 5 seconds food rule but not the best self rule and this is something I definitely need to follow in my life. I am going to start using this to see if I can make positive changes
i have not heard of the 5 second self rule. but it makes total sense!
This is a rule that I will probably follow because it seems really effective. Thanks for posting the helpful information.