The 5 Second Rule of Mel Robbins

The 5 Second Rule of Mel Robbins is a life lesson that can change your perspective on everything. If your life is not the way you want it to be, know that it is because you are taking too long to make a decision and take action. A bad habit!

When an important idea comes to your mind, and that idea requires action, your brain begins to do the analysis necessary to make the right decision.
Most of the time, your brain seeks to protect you and promote your comfort. If the action requires an effort (the case of all good ideas), your brain will try to protect you and enter the hesitation phase, then the idea will be forgotten, replaced, … and killed.
You have 5 seconds to take action! If not your idea will be killed!

Video: Mel robbins 5 second rule ted talk

Who is Mel robbins

Melanie Robbins, born on October 6, 1968, married and mother of 3 children. She is a life coach and motivational speaker who has helped countless people make positive changes in their lives. She’s the author of five books, including “The 5 Second Rule” and “Stop Saying You’re Fine.”

Robbins is known for her no-nonsense approach to self-improvement. She believes that anyone can change their life if they’re willing to put in the work. And she’s not shy about sharing her own story of personal transformation.

Robbins is a regular guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show, and she also hosts her own show, The Mel Robbins Show.

The 5 Second Rule

Hesitation habit

That moment of hesitation right before we take action. Maybe we’re not sure if it’s a good idea, or if we’re even capable of pulling it off;
Oh, I’m not sure that’s a good idea!
What will people say if I do this? I’m not ready to commit to this.
It takes time and effort to do this. I’m not sure I’ll succeed.

All these questions that come to mind when we have to make a decision are just impulses from our brain to choose the path of comfort.
Unfortunately, the autopilot of the human brain never chooses the long-term comfort that will come after great effort. It always chooses the nearest comfort.

Whether it’s deciding whether or not to go to the gym, or put in the extra work to get ahead at our job, we sometimes find it difficult to summon the energy required to do what we know needs to be done. Ironically, this hesitation usually leads only to more frustration and inertia. We can end up feeling guilty for not doing what we said we would, or stuck in a vicious cycle of inaction.

All this happens in less than 5 seconds, about 3 seconds of hesitation and then emergency braking.

The brain’s emergency braking

It’s almost a rule! The hesitation phase ends with the decision to give up the idea. This can be a major problem for people who want to take risks and push themselves outside of their comfort zone.

The problem is that this happens quickly and on autopilot.
Once the hesitation is triggered, the brain quickly analyzes the feasibility of the idea based on our comfort.

Your brain can analyze a face in 33 milliseconds! It can really go fast. So if you don’t make the decision quickly before those 5 seconds pass, your brain will pull the brake and the idea will simply be killed!

Taking action

Physical strength is necessary to change your behavior. to break your routine, because it is what is killing you. you will not have change without breaking your routine and the comfort you find there.

Force yourself.

You will never feel like doing what you need to do. force yourself to become uncomfortable!

Get out of your head, get out of your feelings, and get out of your comfort zone.

You have to act urgently, you just have to take the first step, otherwise the right time will never come. If you’re waiting for the perfect time to do something, you’ll be waiting forever. You have to take action and put yourself out there.

just do it! It can be scary at first, but once you start taking action, you’ll find that it gets easier and easier.

In conclusion, the 5 second rule is a powerful psychological intervention that can help you bypass your feelings and take action. It is a simple technique that can be used to achieve your goals and improve your life. The next time you feel overwhelmed or discouraged, use the 5 second rule to get started. You will be surprised at how much progress you can make!