The 5 Second Rule: The Secret Ingredient to Take Action and Achieve Your Goals

Do you have a goal that you want to accomplish but don't know where to start? Do you have an actionable idea, but find yourself stuck and unable to take action?

If so, then this blog post is for you. I will be discussing the 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins, best-selling author of the book "The Five Second Rule: Transform your Life, Work, and Confidence with Everyday Courage".

What is the 5 second rule?

The 5 second rule is a principle that action must be taken within five seconds of an instinct to act on goal otherwise your brain will come up with excuses and a million reasons not to.

Why does the brain stop us from taking action?

Your brain is designed to keep you safe and save energy, so it will do its best to encourage inaction by triggering feelings of insecurity or fear. After all, nothing saves more energy than not doing anything, so your brain works against you! The thing is we are often left feeling unsatisfied and regretful from our inaction.

The more you allow your brain to stop you, the more power it has over you. As you can see it becomes a negative feedback loop that only leads to you wishing you had listened to your gut feeling. Believe me, I am speaking from experience! This has happened to me more often than I wish to admit...

The key of the 5 second rule is to take over this instinct by not giving it any time to stop you!

What are the steps of the 5 second rule?

Mel Robbins shares 5 steps to achieving the 5 second rule successfully.

1 - The Instinct

The instinct is the impulse or desire to take any action that you are tempted to undertake in a given moment but have not done so yet.

For example, before starting to write this blog post, my instinct was for me to take action by writing the first sentence of the post.

Was I procrastinating before starting? Oh yes. Did I feel like going to my computer, opening my document editor, and begin writing? Not at all. Not because I don't like it, but because I didn't feel like it.

After a long day at work, I'd much rather chill on the couch and do something mindless. My brain knows and prefers that!

The instinct is not an impulsive decision that you may regret doing later, like getting an impromptu tattoo, spend all your money at the Casino, or on meaningless items just because of a cool ad.

It's a decision you know deep down you must make to be the person you wish to be.

For example,

• Exercising
• Reading
• Speaking up in an important meeting
• Introducing yourself to someone at work or an event
• Coming up to your crush for a conversation
• Speaking with a stranger

In any case, the action might not always be easy, but it will make a big difference in life! You never know how one thing may lead to another.

The stranger you just spoke with could become your best friend, coworker, or even lover!

The book you read could give you the knowledge and ideas you need to solve a problem or innovate things at work, leading to more opportunities for you!

Maybe not now, but the cumulative effect of all these little actions that you don't feel like doing will create significant changes in your life.

The key to understanding the instinct is that it's the urge to take an action. But not just any action, an action that moves you towards your goals!

2- The Goal

Whenever the instinct presents itself, there's a reason. There's a goal behind it.

The goal is what you want to pursue and act on to create change in your life.

For example, I had the instinct to write this blog post and the goal that motivated me was to create content that would provide value to the readers, to you! If I don't act on this goal, there's no way I'll be able to do so. Without any blog post, there wouldn't be any value to this blog at all!

You may not always have the motivation, but knowing your goal helps push you during moments of hesitation.

The action is the first step towards achieving this!

Most of us have goals that we want to achieve but are not acting on them. We know what needs to get done and when it's time for action, we find an excuse or delay our progress even further by procrastinating.

It's crucial to listen to our instinct, our gut feeling, and act per our goals.

3- The Push

The push is what moves you from action to action. The push is what makes the difference between someone who wants to do something and someone who actually does it!

To take action, we need a push that motivates us to act on our goal instead of procrastinating or telling ourselves excuses not to do so.

In many cases, the push is the most important piece of the 5 second rule because it gets you moving when you hesitate.

The push is the kick in the butt that you need to act on your goal. Think of it as the friend that reminds you that you are not living up to your potential by letting your brain control you.

It's the voice in our heads that says: "It's time for action" or "You need to do this".

The push is what gives us the strength and courage we needed but didn't have before.

All this happens within 5 seconds. When you feel the instinct and know what action is needed to move you towards your goal, push yourself by counting from 5 to 1 and JUST DO IT.

4- The 5 Seconds

It's called the 5 Second Rule because you have 5 seconds before your brain starts coming up with stupid excuses to stop you.

This is the time that must be used for physical movement or else it's already too late and the brain has reacted to what you're about to do!

You must not give your brain the chance to think about what you're about to do, pull yourself out of whatever situation you may find yourself in, and take action!  

If you physically move towards your goal early enough, your brain won't be able to stop you.

Excuses such as "I can't do this now", "this isn't for me", "I am too tired", "What will they think of me?" are only there to create doubt and prevent you from achieving your goals.

These 5 seconds is the limited time you have to pull yourself out of your comfort zone and commit to your goal. Mel Robbins actually recommends less than 5 seconds if possible.

The quicker the countdown, the less time you have for excuses and negative self-talk!

5 - The Outcome

There are only two outcomes to the story of the five second rule. Either you act within that time and commit to your goal or you don't.

If you don't, you'll likely end up with feelings of regret later on which will hurt more than if you actually acted on your goal! If you do, then congratulations because you are now one step closer to being the person you want to be and breaking free from your mind.

It's these moments that shape the course of our lives.

The five second rule can be applied to many areas of our lives.

If you're hungry and want to eat something unhealthy, you can use the five second rule to pull yourself away from the junk food you were about to eat.

If you're tired and want to skip the workout, you can also use the five second rule to push yourself to the training home and complete your workout. Half the workout is showing up after all!

You can apply the five second rule in almost any area of your life.

The ultimate outcome of successfully following the five second rule over time is that you create a new standard for yourself. The standard of commitment, perseverance, and discipline.

On the other hand, by continuously giving up and listening to stories you tell yourself, you're encouraging such behavior, and it becomes a habit. Suddenly, it becomes a lot harder to break free and become your dream you!

The next time you have a great idea or an action you want to execute, give it a try and see how it feels!

The Takeaway

Following the five second rule over time will lead to a new standard for yourself and ultimately, create an entirely different you. It's not always easy but with practice and commitment, you will get used to it and the power your brain has over you becomes lesser and lesser.

Have you tried incorporating the 5-second rule into your life? If you have not then give it a shot! There is nothing to lose from trying something new like this except so much that can be gained!

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