The 5 Second Rule: Transform Your Life, Work, and Confidence with Everyday Courage

by Mel Robbins

every single day we face moments that are difficult, uncertain, and scary. Your life requires courage.

“the most obvious, important realities are often the ones that are the hardest to see and talk about.”

Have you ever noticed how the smallest things can feel so hard?

Your brain and your body send you signals to wake up and to pay attention.

That bet starts with hearing the instinct to change and honoring that instinct with action.

The problem was very clear. It was me. I was holding myself back, five seconds at a time.

If I knew that I should do something that could change me for the better, then I would use the Rule to push myself to do it, regardless of how I felt.

pushing yourself to take simple actions creates a chain reaction in your confidence and your productivity.

“locus of control.” The more that you believe that you are in control of your life, your actions and your future, the happier and more successful you’ll be.

Forget motivation; it’s a myth.

If you want to improve your life, you’ll need to get off your rear end and kick your own butt.

The Rule doesn’t make these things easy; it makes them happen.

Hesitation is the kiss of death.

We’ve repeated this pattern of hesitating, worrying, and doubting ourselves so much, that these actions are now habits that have encoded in our brains.

You will come face to face with the excuses, habits, feelings, insecurities, and fears that have haunted you for years.

You will see the bullshit you put yourself through every day and how much precious time you waste waiting for things to change.

you’ll become the person you’re meant to become in this next phase of your life.

Anytime there’s something you know you should do, but you feel uncertain, afraid, or overwhelmed…just take control by counting backwards 5- 4- 3- 2- 1. That’ll quiet your mind. Then, move when you get to “1.”

it focuses your attention on what you need to do, it prompts you to act, and it interrupts the habits of hesitating, overthinking, and holding yourself back.

Physical movement is the most important part of my Rule, too, because when you move your physiology changes and your mind follows.

“Just Do It” is a concept—it’s what you need to do. The #5SecondRule is a tool—it’s how you make yourself do it.

Nike’s tagline is pushing you to move past that doubt and get in the game.

there’s greatness inside of you, and it’s on the other side of your excuses.

every single one of us, even an Olympic athlet...

you just 5- 4- 3- 2- 1 to push yourself.

There is a window for everyone between the moment you have an instinct to change and your mind killing that instinct.

the longer that you think about something, the lower your urge to act becomes.

you’ve got to move faster—so you can break free of your excuses before your mind traps you.

There are all kinds of tricky ways your brain kills your urge to act.

change requires you to do things that are uncertain, scary, or new. Your brain, by design, will not let you do such things.

You stop yourself from changing the exact same way every single time—you hesitate, then you overthink, and you lock yourself in mental jail.

Hesitation sends a stress signal to your brain. It’s a red flag that signals something’s wrong—and your brain goes into protection mode.

The Rule will beat the brain’s operating system to help you win the battle with resistance in the moment.

as you repeat the Rule, you destroy that system all together.

patterns of thinking like worrying, self-doubt, and fear ...

“Golden Rule of Habits” and it is very simple: In order to change any bad habit, you must replace the behavior pattern that you repeat.

If you master the Rule you will reprogram your mind. You will teach yourself new behavior patterns.

Instead of defaulting to worry, hesitation, and fear, you will find yourself automatically acting with courage.

Change your decisions and you’ll change your life.

courage is what it takes some days to get out of bed, speak to your boss, pick up the phone, or step on a scale.

Everyday life is full of moments that are scary, uncertain, and difficult. Facing these moments and unlocking the opportunity, magic, and joy in your life requires tremendous courage.

Courage is precisely what the #5SecondRule gives you.

I was responsible for everything that happened in my life,”

inside every decision there exist five seconds of courage that can change everything in our lives.

“It happened so quickly that I did not have time to think it through. It is probable that if I had, I would have declined the nomination.”

It’s a moment when your instincts, values, and goals align, and you move so quickly you don’t have time or a valid reason to stop yourself.

Your heart speaks and you don’t think, you listen to what your heart tells you to do.

Greatness is not a personality trait. It’s i...

That’s what courage is. It’s a push.

matter of knowing how to find it when you need it. And when you need it, you’ll probably be alone.