Page 234 - The 5 Second Rule: Transform Your Life, Work, and Confidence with Everyday Courage

“My mind was suddenly crystal clear and I used the #5SecondRule to say it. It was now my choice to do it, or allow my
brain to “pull the emergency brake.” I chose in that moment, to act. I asked for a divorce. In retrospect that decision
catapulted my life in the direction I knew I wanted to go, but always held myself back from.

This is not to say it was easy. It absolutely has not been easy, but I have never for one second doubted my decision. In
that pure moment of action, of truly choosing to act on what I knew was right and authentically me, I have found myself.
There have been dark and sometimes lonely moments, but what surprises me is that in those moments I never regret my
choice to divorce.

We all have moments throughout our day to act or to choose. We sometimes hold ourselves back, we choose to be
cautious and not act and to not risk. I choose to act. And it is in these moments that I feel most alive, have found my
soulmate and more importantly my true self.”

—Estelle

I said from the beginning that the Rule was simple. I never said it “saying it”
would be easy. The truth is the shortest distance between two people and it may
very well save your relationship. Silence creates distance. Truth creates real
connection, as Natasha discovered.

Natasha was “overwhelmed with life” after her mother died suddenly. Her
optimism “evaporated” and she could “only see more negatives” in the future. She
was worried about her relationship with her boyfriend and used the Rule to 5- 4- 3-
2- 1 to “speak from the heart” about how she felt, for real—that their relationship
“was unsustainable.” She spoke how she really felt and the outcome was amazing.
Instead of blowing up the relationship, the truth brought them closer. They’re now
engaged.