Self Motivation & The 5 Second Rule

Some people call it inner wisdom. Others call it instincts or your gut. No matter the name, you recognize it inside yourself when it arrives.

Mel Robbins describes it as the power your actions have over your mind. Your feelings are crafty, and often serve as an emergency brake.

Your gut is that unique power that comes from your DNA. It collects your life experiences and everything that you've learned so far. Your situations and intelligence speak to you and tell you to move, to speak, to take some form of action.

What do you do when your gut speaks loudly and tells you to act?

It depends on if you believe in the 5 Second Rule.

When faced with the moment where our mind seems at odds with itself — when it is frozen, count down from five slowly.

5.

4.

3.

2.

1.

This has the power to reset your mind, calm your feelings and send the power you need to act right through you.

Mel, through her personal experience, countless conversations, and coaching discovered the power of the 5 Second Rule. You have a strong mind for a reason. It serves you well, primarily doing three things:

• It regulates your body and keeps you alive

• While you sleep, it powers down to catalog memories

• It helps you evaluate and consider various risks for your protection

But do you want to know a secret?

You can hack your brain. In fact, you NEED to in order to see growth in your life.

There is a moment when you have knowledge of what you need to do, but your mind is at war with itself.

You need to get out of bed.

You have to make a difficult phone call.

You must turn off all distractions to focus on the project.

You need to make a healthy food choice.

You must follow up today.

So why should you use the 5 Second Rule in those moments?

If you wait until you "feel" like it, you'll be waiting forever.

No one else is coming. No one is forcing you to take action. (We talked about this last week.)

Here then, is how it works and how it will help you achieve more of the life you want.

• Admit that you are designed to stay comfortable and safe. Your self-awareness in this area is critical.

• Pay attention to what you do in 5-second windows. When your instincts come alive, what do you naturally do?

• If your natural tendency is to step in, lean forward and move ahead with bravery, good.

• If you pull back, then ask yourself why. Does it go against the values that you have, or is something else causing you to remain static and immobile?

Your feelings are never a choice. Your behavior and your thoughts are a choice.

That is then the power of the 5 Second Rule. It validates the feelings, recognizes them, and then moves into the parts of our mind that we have agency over.

When we realize that we are not our thoughts and we have control over what we decide to do, we don’t negotiate with ourselves and positive, productive things that we have already decided. And that has the power to help you move forward and take action today.

Full audio versions of stories like these with A-List guests are available on my podcast wherever you listen!

Just search for Behind the Brand with Bryan Elliott. I would love for you to leave a review with as many stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ as you think the show deserves. Thank you!

Special thanks to this week’s partner WeWork!

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