The 5 Second Rule: Transform your Life, Work, and Confidence with Everyday Courage

“You change your life one five-second decision at a time. In fact, it’s the only way you change.”

This quote embodies the main thesis of the book. Robbins argues that change only happens when people are proactive in their daily lives and that the best way to act is by applying the #5SecondRule. Instead of hesitating or finding excuses to procrastinate, people should count back from five and move immediately. Here, Robbins uses short declarative sentences to emphasize her point.

“The 5 Second Rule changed everything…by teaching me just one thing: HOW to change.”

Robbins finds that often people cannot find the motivation to break out of their bad habits because they do not understand what change is and how to go about it. One of the main goals of her book is to explore what it means to change. The #5SecondRule works, Robbins argues, because it helps people become proactive in their daily lives. This builds a habit that contributes to greater changes in the long term.

“I knew what I should or could be doing to make things better, but I couldn’t make myself do those things. They were small things: getting up on time, being nicer to Chris, getting support from friends, drinking less, and taking better care of myself. But knowing what you need to do isn’t enough to create change.”

Robbins realized early on that the hardest tasks to find motivation for are often times, paradoxically, very simple. However, people lack the will to do them even if they logically know this will be beneficial in the long term. People act upon their feelings, not logic, and their emotions tell them to seek immediate comfort and gratification.