The 5 second rule...

You have 5 seconds.
What will you do?

5 seconds to make a decision.
Will you stay or will you go.
Jump or not.
Laugh or cry.
Get active or stay still.

You have 5 seconds.
No time to think.
No time to worry.
No time to analyze.
No time to wonder.

You have 5 seconds.
Are you going to try,
Are you going to avoid,
Will you speak up,
Will you shut up.

You have 5 seconds.

Your life is built on a mountain of decisions you make every single day.
The lack of making a decision is exactly the same thing as making a decision.
It's a choice.
You made it in 5 seconds.

And then wonder,
What may have been.

If your child was in a burning building, would you analyze the situation or would you run into the building willing to die in order to try to save your baby?
Your decision would be made in less than 5 seconds.
Forget fear,
Forget worry,
You would do it.
And wouldn't think about it.

The rational person says regret is a larger devil than death.
The rational person argues that instinct takes over.
The rational person contributes the decision process is analyzed at lightning speed.

The rational person is not wrong.
But they are also full of shit.

Rookie skydivers are told they will jump on the count of three. They get pushed out of the plane at the 2 count. Instructors know there's a good chance the jumper is going to second guess the decision and grab for the side of the door somewhere between the count of 2 and 3. So they push the jumper out at 2.

Second guessing, analysis, worry, and fear is the greatest foe of action.

In most cases you don't have five seconds.
Most of us will never jump out of an airplane.
Nor will we have to save our babies from burning buildings.

If we put an urgency to everything we thought about or wanted to do with a 5 second mentality, could we create amazing results for ourselves.

Say yes to that crazy project and then figure out how you're going to do later.
Wake up at 5:30 am. Countdown from 5 and jump out of bed to get the exercise done.
Worried about that phone call you need to make? Pick up the phone and call the person without worrying any more about it.

You have 5 seconds.
What will you do?

If every decision you had to make was made with 5 second precision, what would you accomplish in one day?
What could you get done in one week or a year?

The hardest step in doing anything is the first one.
The second hardest step is the second one.
It gets easier with every step.

The whole concept comes from a book called "The 5 second rule" that my friend Michel recommended.

I've used the idea three times today with varying results.
But there's no more guesswork.
Things get done.

As my daughter used to say, "Maybes are for babies. Make a decision. And make one now."

5 seconds...