How Can You Stop Giving In to Your Excuses?
October 7, 2019
How Can You Stop Giving In to Your Excuses?
How often do you promise yourself to go to the gym, only to come up with countless excuses not to? “I’m tired,” “The gym is crowded,” “It’s raining,” “I didn’t sleep well,” “I’ll have more energy tomorrow,” “It’s too late”… Or maybe you want to do something trivial—like send an email—but keep postponing it until you forget. Everyone struggles with this problem, but there is a way to tackle it!
Launch Like a Rocket!
It was a jockey who inspired author Mel Robbins to write her book “The 5 Second Rule.” She decided to get out of bed like a rocket launching into space: She counted 5… 4… 3… 2… 1 and immediately stood up. Her brain had no time to create excuses because she focused on the action first. This way, she was one step ahead of her negative thoughts and simply acted.
HOW TO OUTWIT YOUR BRAIN?
How to Outsmart Your Brain
When you come up with an idea, your brain tries to talk you out of it. It doesn’t stop you from having dinner, replying to a message, or turning on the TV. But it’s afraid of anything that requires effort, anything new or unknown. That’s why your brain often tries to prevent you from taking action.
“The more you think about something, the less likely you are to do it.”
The best thing you can do is act before your brain starts a demotivating monologue. You only need five seconds. Just count 5… 4… 3… 2… 1 – and you get up, grab your bag, go to the gym, start a conversation with someone you like, speak up in class/meetings/work, or throw the cigarette away. As Nike’s famous slogan says: Just do it. Just do it, and don’t overthink it! Dare before your thoughts take over—because often that’s already too late!
IMPORTANT!
The author of the 5 Second Rule emphasizes that we must count backward—5… 4… 3… 2… 1—because the action starts at 1. If you count 1… 2… 3… 4… 5, you could theoretically just keep counting. Remember: you must launch like a rocket!
The more you think, the less likely you are to act.
This article is based on the book “The 5 Second Rule” by Mel Robbins.
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