Five seconds is all it takes to reach your true potential

Mel Robbins is an author, motivational speaker, life coach, TV personality and CNN commentator. She is an expert on motivation and behaviour. In her book, The 5 Second Rule, she presents the special technique that shares its name with the title.. 

Using the fields of developmental psychology and neuroscience as her sphere of reference, she explains why people tend to put off working towards their goals and just how easily with this one simple tool, they can let go of their anxieties, go get their goals and lead an exhilarating life. What this tool does is help you take action when required in order to improve your life. By using it, you are able to break free from self-sabotaging routines and become a well-rounded person who exudes self-confidence. Whether it’s fighting an addiction, working towards professional or personal development, starting a new business or working on improving one’s relationships, this versatile tool is deemed useful in a multitude of scenarios.

Everyone has the potential to do whatever they set out to do in life. However, often pesky little feelings like that of fear, anxiety and nervousness come in the way. As we will see, Robbins shares many instances of people who have adopted her technique to get rid of them and have witnessed their lives change almost instantaneously.  

The rule is easy to follow. All you have to do is just count backwards in your head: “5-4-3-2-1-GO” and when you hear “GO”, you take the action that is required of you. What this 5 second rule essentially does is that it stops you from getting distracted and keeps you focused on the matter at hand while keeping all your worries at bay.

2009! That’s where it all started! At 41, Mel Robbins was drowning in financial troubles, her career was a mess, and her marriage was on the rocks. And on top of it, she just COULDN’T get out of bed! SO relatable! Like, we know what to do, but we... just... can't... seem... to... do it.

And then! Then came the rocket launch. One night, while watching TV, Robbins saw a rocket countdown: 5-4-3-2-1, blastoff! Total lightbulb moment. What if she could launch herself out of bed like that rocket? The next morning, when her alarm went off, instead of hitting snooze, Robbins counted backwards: 5-4-3-2-1… And GO! She stood up! That’s all it took to beat procrastination. Robbins started using this for everything. Too lazy to exercise? 5-4-3-2-1, out the door for a run. About to pour that glass of wine? 5-4-3-2-1, put the bottle down. Procrastinating on job hunting? 5-4-3-2-1, time to work on that resume.

Now, why does it work? Because it gets you moving! And once you're moving, it gets easier. And Robbins discovered something powerful: taking action, even tiny actions, creates a chain reaction. That's how Rachel, one of Robbins' readers, ended up losing 30 pounds, buying her first home, and spicing up her marriage - all from starting with the simple act of getting up on time.

Every time you use the rule, you're basically telling your brain, "Hey, I'm the boss here." And the more you do that, the more you start to believe it. This is what’s called the locus of control, introduced by Julian Rotter in 1954. The more you believe you are in control of your life, actions, and future, the happier and more successful you'll be. The 5 Second Rule increases your internal locus of control by developing a bias toward action. Each time you use the Rule to push yourself into action, you're proving to yourself that you have the power to control your fate. 

What else can the 5 Second Rule help you with? Let’s find out.

This ever happened: you're sitting at your desk, about to send that important email, but you’re too scared? Or the fear of rejection stops you? Such moments require courage. And courage isn't just for heroes – it's for all of us, every.single.day!! And the 5 Second Rule can unlock this courage within! 

Let's start with the story of Rosa Parks. You probably know the famous tale of how she refused to give up her seat on that bus in Montgomery, Alabama back in 1955. But did you know that her courageous act happened in just a few seconds? As Robbins explains, Parks didn't hesitate or overthink it. When the bus driver demanded she give up her seat, "she just listened to her instincts telling her 'I was not being treated right,' and she pushed herself to follow them." Boom – five-second decision, world-changing impact. The same goes for Martin Luther King Jr. Just days after Parks' arrest, he was unexpectedly voted to lead the famous Montgomery bus boycott. As he later wrote, "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."

These people weren’t heroic in themselves – they were simply able to tap into the courage that lies dormant within all of us. 

Here's the thing – courage is your birthright! We’re not talking about being confident, educated, or a certain "type" of person. Courage is a fundamental part of the human experience. As Robbins puts it, "It's inside all of us and sometimes it's hard for us to see it." Rosa Parks and MLK Jr. were both described as shy and self-doubting, but when the moment arrived, they didn't hesitate to push themselves forward.

So what's holding you back? It just takes 5 Seconds to overcome your own mind, y’know! Bryce, a 15-year-old, pushed himself to write and publish a cookbook, even hosting a book signing at Barnes & Noble. All it took was a courageous 5-4-3-2-1 go! 

Now! How exactly does this rule make you do stuff? Simple, it doesn’t give you time to overthink! More on it next.

The five-second rule is based on the premise of, ‘Don’t think, just do.’ It’s about decision time. When we stop to think about an action, we make way for hesitation to creep in and this in turn, lets anxiety get in the way of achieving our life goals. 

Take Tom’s story. He's at a bar, eyeing a woman he'd like to talk to. His brain is probably telling him all sorts of things: "It's too soon after your divorce," or "She's out of your league." But since Tom uses the 5 Second Rule, he doesn't give those thoughts time to take hold. He counts down and starts walking before his fears can stop him. Want more examples? 

Michelangelo, the guy who painted the Sistine Chapel, actually ran away when the Pope asked him to do it. He was so full of self-doubt that it took two years of the Pope pestering him before he agreed. Even Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, wanted to "wait a while" before quitting his job to start the company. It took his friends, family, and Steve Jobs pushing him to make the leap. Same thing happened with Broad City, a comedy series. They didn't wait for a TV network to discover them. They grabbed their phones, started filming 3-minute clips, and put them on YouTube. Now they have a hit show on Comedy Central.

The point is, waiting for the "right time" is often just an excuse. There's no magical moment when you'll suddenly feel ready. The time is always right to do what's right - whether that's chasing your dreams, standing up for yourself, or helping others. 

So, just 5-4-3-2-1 GO and don't wait for the perfect moment. Create it. Because you miss 100% of the shots you don't take, as Wayne Gretzky puts it. So whatever happens, you'll be living life instead of watching it pass you by! Let’s explore this further!

Procrastination is quite possibly one of the most common struggles currently plaguing humans! Fun fact? It's not always laziness or poor time management. Sometimes, it's the stress.

See, not all procrastination is bad. When you're working on a creative project, taking breaks can actually boost your ideas. Robbins experienced this first-hand while writing. Yes, it took longer than expected, but the result was much better. This is productive procrastination. Then there’s the not-so-great kind of procrastination. Destructive procrastination. You know, when you avoid that pile of work even though you know it'll cause problems later. Yea, that’s destructive procrastination. 

Now, sometimes, this destructive procrastination comes from… you got it, STRESS! Dr. Timothy Pychyl, a psychology professor says procrastination is actually a coping mechanism. When we procrastinate, we're not avoiding work - we're avoiding stress. Confused? Here’s an example.

Scott is a PhD student, with a lovely wife and a cute little baby boy. He once reached out to Robbins because he was kept pushing off his lab work or other commitments. Why? Financial stress! So, by procrastinating, Scott gets a temporary escape from money worries, but his work keeps piling up, creating even more stress. It's a vicious cycle.

So, how do we break this cycle with the 5 Second Rule? Before we get to that, there are a couple of things you need to do.

First, cut yourself some slack. Seriously. Research shows that forgiving yourself for past procrastination makes you less likely to do it again! Next, think about your future self. What would the "you" – the one you want to become – do in this situation? For Scott, thinking about when he’d become "Professor Scott" and how he would handle the workload could be helpful.

Now! 5 Second Rule! When you feel yourself starting to procrastinate, count backward: 5-4-3-2-1. Then, DO! It's that simple. The rule makes a "starting ritual" for your brain. It helps you switch gears and actually begin the task you've been avoiding. This works because, as we said earlier, it functions on the locus of control. Procrastination makes us feel powerless. The Rule helps us take back control! Simple dimple!

If we asked you to describe the feeling of worry, what’d you say? We’re guessing something like “Worry’s an uninvited guest!” But!!! The thing is we DID invite it. Worrying isn't something we're born with. Nope, we learned it. When your parents told you to not sit too close to the TV, you were getting your first lessons in the art of worry. 

So, how do we use the 5 Second Rule here? Same with procrastination - i.e. catch yourself when you start to worry, countdown, and take back control of your thoughts. Case in point: Robbin's husband got a motorcycle. But within 5 seconds of him riding out, Robbins’ mind had conjured up a whole story about how her husband would get hit be a car! 

Side note: This worrying doesn’t keep anyone any safer. It just robs you of enjoying the present moment. Dr. Karl Pillemer, a professor at Cornell University, chatted with over 1,200 senior citizens about life. Want to know what shocked him? Most of them had one big regret: they wished they hadn't wasted so much time worrying! 

So, back to our story. As soon as Robbins caught herself worrying, she used the Rule and redirected her thoughts to something positive - like imagining her husband's smile as he rode. 

Unfortunately, worry can sneak up even in happy moments. This one time, Robbins was having this beautiful moment with her daughter, shopping for her prom dress, seeing her all grown up, and then suddenly, she was fretting about her daughter leaving for college, getting married, time passing too quickly. What then? Then, you find something to be grateful for. 

Think: "What am I grateful for in this moment? What do I want to remember?" And just like that, you might just find yourself enjoying the present moment a whole lot more.