Page 36 - The 5 Second Rule: Transform Your Life, Work, and Confidence with Everyday Courage

And I Desperately Wanted to Change. I Just Didn’t
Know How.

And this is an important point in my story. This instinct to launch myself out
of bed was my inner wisdom talking. Hearing it was a tipping point. Following its
instructions was life-changing. Your brain and your body send you signals to wake
up and to pay attention. This idea of launching myself out of bed is an example of
that. Your instincts may seem stupid in the moment, but when you honor them
with deliberate action, it can change your life.

There’s more to this point about acting on your instincts than just the phrase
“trust your gut.” New research from the University of Arizona, in partnership with
Cornell and Duke, has shown that there’s a powerful connection between your
brain and your instinct to act. When you set a goal, your brain opens up a task list.
Whenever you are near things that can help you achieve those goals, your brain fires
up your instincts to signal to get that goal completed. Let me give you an example.

Let’s say you have a goal to get healthier. If you walk into a living room,
nothing happens. If you walk past a gym, however, your prefrontal cortex lights up
because you are near something related to getting healthier. As you pass the gym,
you’ll feel like you should exercise. That’s an instinct reminding you of the goal.
That’s your inner wisdom, and it’s important to pay attention to it, no matter how
small or silly that instinct may seem.

Subconsciously, my brain was signaling me to pay attention to this rocket launch
on TV. In that five-second moment, my brain was sending me a very clear set of
instructions:

Pay attention to that rocket launch, Mel. Grab the idea. Believe in it. And do it. Don’t stop and think. Don’t talk
yourself out of it. Launch yourself out of bed tomorrow, Mel.