Today we look at Mel Robbins and the 5 Second Rule that has changed her life!
[Intro]
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Mel Robbins is one of the most prominent self help speakers and authors in the world today
and an inspiration for millions with her body of work, most centered around one rule, the
5 second rule, which will be the focus of today's video.
Now before delving into the 5 second rule, who exactly is Mel Robbins?
Well, prior to gaining fame she's actually had a lot of challenges to overcome and lead
a life that many can actually relate to.
She actually graduated in Law and was a criminal defence attorney, enjoying her job.
That was before she had to find a new job having moved to a new city.
Unfortunately, her job, while still in the same field, left her miserable and she struggled
with the day to day.
Her family was struggling for finances and she struggled with postpartum depression after
having her child.
While at home, adament she didn't want to return to the job she hated, she struggled
with her depression, her marriage was collapsing around her and she struggled to be productive
day to day.
It was in her darkest moment that the solution came to her, an idea so simple she initially
dismissed it as stupid, but decided there was no harm trying anyway.
Surprisingly, it worked.
So she thought she'd try it again and again, same positive result.
She kept doing it and from there, the 5 second rule was born.
Now she's gone on to have a number of various jobs and actually had to suffer far more than
what I've told already, but through it all she's been using the 5 second rule to take
decisive actions in her life to be where she is today.
So what is the 5 second rule?
The general principle behind the rule is that you have roughly a 5 second period to perform
an action before your mind will pull you out of it and stop you.
The reason the mind stops you is because it naturally makes us take action for survival
and comfort as a self defence mechanism.
If you're having to think about an action, it means that action usually has some risk
associated to it that could result in you feeling a sense of pain.
Our brain is wired to avoid pain and so as we hesitate, it's building up reasons in your
mind as to why you shouldn't take action.
Usually, most of us will then stop ourselves taking action we know that could benefit us
due to this response.
[Mel Robbins Speaks]
And that's precisely to point of the 5 second rule, it's to override the doubts and fears
we have and to take actions we know could be of benefit to us quickly.
After all, just as there might be risks, there will also huge opportunities.
So how do you apply the 5 second rule?
It's a simple two step process:
1.
The first thing to do is to acknowledge that you're stressed.
Don't analyze or dissect it, but just accept that what you're dealing with is not a fault,
defect, or inability in you, but a reaction to stress and it's driving your decisions.
That takes a bit of the pressure off and enables your prefrontal cortex to play a role in the
next decision.
2.
Make a five-second decision that is directly contrary to the stress response.
You do this by counting backwards from 5, like a rocket launch, and by 0 you need to
push yourself to take action.
For example, you have something to contribute to a meeting that you know could be of value
but are afraid of the response, then use the 5 second rule to speak up and make that contribution.
You know that you're meant to speak to someone about an issue you have, then use the 5 second
rule to make the decision to openly speak to them.
Note that in both examples the stress that might prevent you taking action is your feelings
of what others might think.
This is usually the most common form of fear that holds us back from progressing in life.
We're so afraid of others, we fail to do what's right for ourselves.
It's for
this
that
the 5 second rule works so well.
[Mel Robbins Speaks]
The 5 second rule is simple, and it has to be as if it isn't then we'll overthink the
rule and still fail to take action.
However, from the 5 second rule we can gain a number of insights into our thought process,
where our focus should lie and where we need to override the brain's natural response.
These are:
1) Trust your judgement and intuition.
If you know something could be of value we often over think our choices about it.
I'm terribly guilty of this in my own life.
However, when you listen to those who have had massive success in their lives, one common
point many make is they trust their intuition, which is like a heightened sense that they
trust and often leads to massive results.
You need to do the same, trust your natural judgement and be decisive.
2) Manage distractions.
Just as the 5 second rule can be used to take action, it can be used to stop distractions.
For example, if you're using social media and need to switch it off, use the 5 second
rule to take the action and switch it off.
Not just switch off, but you can actually then take a step further and even put your
phone in airplane mode to avoid further distractions.
The point is, the purpose of the 5 second rule is to push yourself to take productive
actions, and equally this can help you reduce procrastination.
3) Get priorities in line.
One of the things highlighted to you when you start doing using the 5 second rule is
where your priorities lie.
You see it's not just about taking action, but also making decisions.
These decisions will impact your everyday life, as you may realise that areas you may
not have the desire to focus on are critical in your day to day activity and the 5 second
rule might be just the push you need to act on them.
4) Start and stop actions.
One of the lesser known uses of the 5 second rule is to actually use it to stop doing something.
For example, many of us who work find it easy to get drawn into the work and actually stop
ourselves when we know we should.
While this is fine on occasion, if it becomes frequent it can have an adverse affect in
other areas of our lives, such as relationships.
Therefore, just as you would to take action to do something, use the 5 second rule to
stop as well, such as when you know it's time to switch off the laptop.
5) Focus on overriding negative feelings.
It's common to negate doing something when you know you should.
You know you should go on a run, but you say to yourself that you don't feel like it.
You know you should take the garbage out, but again you don't feel like it.
Where the 5 second rule is powerful is it helps us take action to negate these sensations
and do it anyway.
Often, when you're able to discipline yourself in the small decisions and override the feeling
to not do it, you'll see this attitude filter into other areas of your life and gain momentum
in productivity.
6) Build Confidence.
The 5 second rule builds a lot of confidence as it's a way to push yourself beyond your
comfort zone and do something you might not find easy.
Often, when we do this we develop confidence in ourselves to be more decisive, take more
action and build momentum in what we want to do.
Often, it's the first 5 second push that's the most critical.
7) Don't wait for opportunities.
Finally, the 5 second rule is about seizing opportunities in the day.
The average person has a huge number of opportunities that come their way daily to get little wins
and instead of taking them they let them float by.
The 5 second rule is about acting to take the opportunities, not to wait for them to
land in your lap.
And this is the point of the 5 second rule.
It's a method to push you to do what you know you should but often fail to act on.
So use the 5 second rule and seize the opportunities you have
in life!
[Mel Robbins Speaks]
If you enjoyed today's video please leave a like to let me know you enjoyed it, share
it with friends or family to educate others and consider subscribing for more content
like this.
Make sure to hit the bell icon to be notified of uploads as otherwise YouTube won't necessarily
inform you of the latest videos.