You Are Never Going to "Feel Like It"

Kitty Boitnott, Ph.D., NBCT, RScP

Career Transition & Job Search Coach

I have a recommendation for you. Actually, I have two recommendations. The first one you can do right now. Take 20 minutes and watch Mel Robbins' TEDx Talk. 

I had the pleasure of hearing this talk at the National Speakers Association conference two years ago. I was blown away by Mel's message.

She talks about the harm that the "F" word can cause, but the "F" word that she is talking about is not what you might think. The "F" word that she is talking about stands for the word, "FINE."

How often in a single day do you say you are "fine" in response to the question, "How are you?" How often do you want to say, "My life sucks right now" if you were totally honest?

Mel Robbins says in her TEDx San Francisco Talk that 30% of people today are unhappy with their lives. If that is true, that means one out of three people who are reading this message right now are unhappy with the state of their lives in at least one area. Maybe it is your health. Maybe it is your career. Maybe it is in your relationship.

No matter what it is, Mel says that we will never take meaningful action to make our lives better if we wait to "feel like it." The reason for that is our brains are hard-wired for act out of habit. 

That leads her to what she refers to as the "5-second rule." She says you must take some action within 5 seconds to make the idea "real." 

And that leads to my second recommendation for today:  Mel has just published a new book entitled, The 5-Second Rule:  Transform Your Life, Work, and Confidence with Everyday Courage.

I am reading it right now. I remember being so thoroughly inspired by her talk at NSA in Washington, DC that I am eager to feel inspired by her ideas again.

I took away several important concepts from that talk, but one thing specifically struck me as particularly profound.

She says that scientists have calculated that the chances of each of us being here on the planet at this point in time, born to our specific parents, having our unique DNA, and having survived all the forces hell-bent on destroying us from the moment of conception...the chances of our just being here..is 1 in 400 trillion.

Try to wrap your brain around that for just a second. 

Then she goes on to talk about the inspired ideas that we all have multiple times a day. They may show up in the form of wistful "wouldn't it be nice if..." ideas or they might be something more concrete like "I should call my sister today." In most cases, however, in spite of the fact that we had the idea and it felt "inspired," we do nothing with it most of the time. 

How do you know the difference between an "inspired idea" and a run-of-the-mill-idea? An inspired idea results in a quickening of your heart or a flash of excitement in the moment. 

So, why don't we act on those inspired ideas? The reason Mel gives goes back to science that says the brain is hard-wired to act out of habit. She uses the analogy of a car with a gas pedal and a brake pedal. When we have an "inspired" idea, no matter where it comes from, she says we need to do something with it--take some action on it--within 5 seconds--or else we automatically, out of habit, hit the brake pedal, and we do nothing.

We start telling ourselves all the reasons why we shouldn't or don't have to actually "do" whatever we just thought of. It is in the form of the negative self-talk we indulge in all the time. "I am not smart enough to do that." "Surely, someone else has already thought of that." My personal favorite is, "Who am I to think that I could do that?"

But consider for just a moment how many "inspired" ideas you have had the shower or just before drifting off to sleep at night. How many times have you let the idea go even though at that moment, you felt your heart quicken and you were excited at the thought you just had? 

Now hang on to that for a moment and consider this possibility:  What if the idea you just had (and you choose not to act on) is the reason you were born?

Think about that for a moment. What if Thomas Edison had never acted on his idea for a replacement light source for candles? What if Steve Jobs had never acted on his ideas around what led to the iPhone or iTunes? What if Abraham Lincoln had decided that it was someone else's job to abolish slavery once and for all in this country?

Furthermore, consider the possibility that your decision to avoid taking action on an inspired thought results in not only you depriving yourself of the benefits of the idea, but what if you are also depriving other people who might benefit from that idea?

I don't know about you, but that thought made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. That is why I have picked up her book on the 5-second rule, and I am reading it right now. I don't even want to wait to finish it before recommending it.

So, I am using the 5-second rule right now. I have felt inspired to share what I know about Mel Robbins and her ideas today, and I am taking action on that inspiration instead of telling myself to wait until later. There is no time like "now" to do anything.

So, let me ask you. What idea have you had recently that excited you but you haven't taken any action on yet? What might you be depriving yourself and the rest of the world of? 

So, get the book. It should be available soon at the library. It is already available from Amazon at The 5-Second Rule.

I am enjoying the book as I read it, and I think its message is one that is beneficial for everyone.

If you want a happier, more productive and more successful life--and who doesnt?--then you may find that this is the most important book you will buy all year.

Until next time.

Hey, before you go, did you hear about the special I am running on the "Jumpstart Your Job Search" program?

Until midnight, March 17th, I am offering a deep discount. Instead of $750, you can get an updated and modified program for only $550!

How is it changed?

You still get lifetime access to the 10 modules and bonuses, and you still get private phone consultations, but now instead of 6 private consultations, I am modifying the program with 3 private phone consultations and 8 bi-weekly group coaching calls.

The coaching calls start Monday, March 20th and will run through June 26th.

There is still a 90-day money back guarantee.

You also get access to a DIY program, "Courage, Risks and Rewards" which is a $100 value as a bonus.

And you receive access to a private Facebook page. That is a $300 value.

On March 18th, the program will be modified again and is going up to $1000, so if you think it is time to consider a new job or career direction, you will definitely want this program now.

If you aren't interested but know someone who might be, let them know. This deep discount is only available until midnight, March 17th. 

I am also offering an option to pay in two or three payments. For those options, click here, or hit the buy button below.

Photos by Depositphotos.com