چگونه استفاده از این قانون را آغاز کنیم؟

CHAPTER EIGHT

HOW TO START USING THE RULE

So the fastest way to implement the five second rule in your life is to start using it the exact same way that I did. I’ve designed a simple wake up challenge that you can start tomorrow morning and it’s gonna jumpstart your use of the rule. All you need to do is set your alarm 30 minutes earlier than usual and the moment that the alarm rings count 54321 and push yourself out of that bed. Change is simple, not easy. There are a few reasons why this challenge is important. First of all there’s zero wiggle room. The challenge is so straightforward, there’s no way that you can get out of it. It’s just you, the alarm clock at the countdown trick 54321. If you fail, guess what? It’s because you made a decision to blow off the five second rule.

Second reason I designed this challenge: If you can change your morning routine, you can change anything. Change requires you to act deliberately, despite how you feel. If you can master that in one area of your life, you can do it in any area that you’re trying to improve. And finally, I want you to experience a concept called activation energy and feel how hard it is to really push yourself to do some simple things. In chemistry, activation energy is the minimum amount of energy required to begin a chemical reaction. Chemists have found that this initial amount of energy is much higher than the average amount of energy that’s needed to keep the reaction going. So what does that have to do with getting up? It has a lot to do with it. The initial amount of energy that’s required to push yourself out of bed is a lot higher than the energy you exert, once you’re up and moving.

Legendary psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihayi applied this concept to human behavior, blaming activation energy is one of the reasons why making change is so hard. He defines activation energy as that initial huge push of energy that’s required to change whether it’s to get a stalled car to move or yourself out of the warm bed in the morning or away from your computer, if you gotta get to the gym. It’s that first bout of energy that’s so uncomfortable. So I want you to feel that resistance that you can learn what you’re up against and what it’s going to feel like when you push yourself. If you don’t get that huge push, like you did as a kid, remember when you were a kid and your mom or your dad would be like, alright I turn off the TV, it’s a beautiful day, get outside and go do something, remember how anoying that was? Your brain will eventually take you down the path of doing nothing unless somebody pushes you in a different direction.

When you start to count 54321, it is the beginning of a chain reaction. And not only it awakens your prefrontal cortex, but it also gets you ready to make that physical initial huge push that’s required to change. When you get up, the moment the alarm rings, it gives you personal power. I kid you now, this one small act of getting up when the alarm rings, it demonstrates something. It demonstrates that you have the inner strength to do what needs to be done. Plus, as Emma discovered it’s gonna give you a much more positive outlook on the day. Emma wrote to me, I think this is on Facebook: Mel, I listened to your Ted talk last night, I woke up this morning, used the five second rule for the first time in years to my alarm without hitting the snooze button. I have never had a more positive outlook on the day. I’m excited to try this approach for all aspects of my life. That’s also what Tracy experience by waking up at 5 AM, started my day with an early morning workout with a little help from the five second rule.

If you can’t get yourself out of bed, you’ll never be able to pursue all the other changes that you want to make in your life. It starts right here. If you take that one simple step of taking control of your mornings, you’re gonna catalyze a chain of events that leads to change everywhere. Here’s how you’re gonna do it. So first we’re gonna set you up for success. Before you go to bed tonight, I want you to place your alarm clock in another room and set it for 30 minutes earlier than you normally wake up. Even though it isn’t easy to “drag your ass out of bed” as Patty described to me, you gotta push yourself to complete the challenge. Now you might be wondering why I want you to start this exercise by setting your alarm 30 minutes earlier. The reason is simple. I want it to feel hard, as if you literally have to drag yourself out of bed like Patty just said. Tomorrow morning, when that alarm sounds, open your eyes, start counting backwards 54321 than throw off the covers, get up roll out of bed, walk out your bedroom. That’s it. That’s it. Start your day. No delay, no pill over the head, no lingering, no griping, no snooze, no crawling back into bed. I know it sounds simple, righ? Guess again.

Here’s what you can expect: As soon as that alarm goes off, you’re gonna think about how you feel, about getting up. Remember it’s your feelings that make decisions. You’ll think, oh this stupid wake up challenges is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. I’m not doing this. Mel Robbins isn’t going to know anyway. This is stupid. You’re gonna feel tired. You’re gonna convince yourself, I drank way too much last night, I must start this dumb thing tomorrow. That’s what you’re gonna do. I know. I do this same crap to myself. You are going to literally not want to get up. I promise you that, I promise you, you are not going to do want to do this. But the five second rule’s gonna help you win the battle with your feelings by giving you something to do. See normally when you get advice people give you shitt to think about. I’m getting you something to do. This is very different. Like Tim, Tim said, hey I wanted to let you know that I used the five second rule this morning. My alarm went off at 4:30 to head to the gym. I did not want to get up, then the five second rule popped into my head, 54321 and I got up. I just wanted to say thanks.

See once the five second rule popped into his head, Tim was able to immediately get up and head to the gym, why? The reason why is because by counting backwards 54321, he activated his prefrontal cortex. The second he hit one, his mind was looking for something to do. He interrupted the habit of saying screw it. He interrupted the habit of hitting the snooze button. He interrupted the habit of saying, I don’t feel like it. He cut off the feelings that make the decision. It’s in those moments that the rule is going to help you take action. It will cut off your feelings. This is what Jessica wrote: I found that the 54321 go method, helps on those days when I just don’t feel like it. And that attitude creeps in, wich is every day, by the way. That’s right. We all have an “I just don’t feel like it” attitude and it has a way of taking over your entire day. And that’s another reason why you need to use this rule and why it’s so important and it has a trickle-down effect, too. Just ask Stephen. So Stephen’s interesting. He wrote to me the night before he was gonna try this wakeup challenge. He writes, Hey Mel, I saw your speech, very inspiring, I’m gonna be waking up at 6:30 tomorrow morning and tossing the covers off, no snooze. Stephen.

Okay, right? So I asked him, because I’m that kind of gal, gotta follow-up. How did it go? You know what he said? It sucked. That’s what he said, it sucked. When he first tried it, but over time, it made a huge difference. His mindset has changed. And within a few minutes, his day is totally different. Now, I checked in with him a few weeks after he had been using it for a while. I want to read his response. You ready? This is amazing. So I asked him, how did it go? It sucked. I hate mornings. I’ve also hated nearly every job I’ve ever had. I’ve always settled and rarely pursue my passions. I’ve always been fine. I was out of work for four months when I sent you the message about getting out of bed at 6:30. I won’t say I haven’t slept in since then, but it’s made a huge difference. I had a mindset that I wouldn’t be able to get a new job that I cared about, that would pay enough for us to cover our bills, save for retirement and live life. That first morning I did the wakeup challenge was terrible, but only for the first few minutes. My mindset literally changed in the span of a few minutes. I was up, ready to conquer the world. Since then I’m in a new position. Working for company and selling a service that I strongly believe in. And the income potential, not only pays the bills but we’ll also be able to save for retirement and start living life and having fun again. I guess if I were to have to sum it all up for you, it would be this. I love helping others and I’ve long had visions of doing that through business by gaining and sharing knowledge, wealth and resources with others to allow them to pursue their passions. As of September 12th the snooze button has been broken and autopilot no longer exists. Watch out world, here I come. And I’m bringing friends.

As you just heard, for Stephen, this wakeup challenge has made all the difference. Stephen isn’t just waking up earlier, he’s changed from a guy who used to always settle and rarely pursue my passions to a person who has taken his life into his own hands. One five second decision at a time. And it began with the most important decision of the day and that is getting up when the alarm rings. If you can get up on time, start your day powerfully, plan ahead, think about your goals and focus on yourself, all before you get bogged down in your daily routine, then you will simply accomplish more. It’s a fact. This is the first step to taking control of your life. Remember, I created the rule to help me get out of bed. But the five second rule is about something so much more important than waking up on time. It’s about waking up the power in you and using it to shake up your life. Now after you try the wakeup challenge, let me know what you discover about yourself using the hashtag five second rule. You might find like Stephen did, that it sucked. But over time I guarantee this one small change will make a huge difference. Now that you know how to get started on the basic level, the next three parts of the book will dive deeper into how you can use the rule to achieve specific goals, including increasing productivity, beating fear, feeling happier and enriching your relationships.