Go to bed earlier.
Eat healthier foods.
Make that phone-call.
Tackle that important task.
We have lists of things that we know we SHOULD be doing. And we often berate ourselves for not being motivated enough to actually do them. But, we delay, prioritise other things first and distract ourselves from actioning the things we know will help us to get what we want.
There are several reasons why we procrastinate or avoid acting, say psychologists:
· Fear of failure,
· perfectionism,
· fear of success,
· anxiety,
· lack of confidence,
· laziness.
Another reason could be that our reptilian brains are constantly trying to make us conserve energy, so we search for reasons to stay put and not act.
What causes many of us concern is the impact that inaction has on our lives.
It is through our experience of life that we grow, become wise and be happy. Nothing happens if we do nothing, and anything is possible when we take action. Achieving goals is not possible without taking continuous steps towards that which you desire.
If you want to achieve more in your day, and life, I suggest you pick up the book, The 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins.
I have just finished this book and although the concept is simple, it is powerful!
Robbins developed her 5 Second Rule through a flash of inspiration. It works off the premise that once our intuition prompts us to take action on something, our conscious mind takes just five seconds to come up with reasons to not take action and stay put. Your mind will come up with excuses, habits, fears and justifications NOT to take action. In essence, your mind wants to kill your instinct to act, and the 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 countdown interrupts this process.
Robbins suggests that the moment you are inspired to do something, you should count down from five and when you reach one, jump up like a rocket and perform that inspired action.
Counting down from five (as opposed to counting up to five) is a form of metacognition that interrupts the pattern of your brain. Acting immediately on an inspired thought, without allowing your brain the time to stop you, creates the freedom for you to accomplish what you need to, to have the life you choose. The new habits and behaviours you create empower you and you now know yourself to be one who can be relied upon to take action. You know you will get things done, tackle challenges, move forward…and achieve your goals.
If you find that you are in a battle with your mind to live your best life, try 5…4…3…2…1 ACTION.