Usually when talking about making change in the world and in our lives, among the first few things that people say is that you have to motivate yourself in order to do so. You have to feel ready and inspired so you can drive yourself into taking action.
Although that might sound good at first, it has no practical use in real life. Think about it. Motivation is never there when you need it and the dependence on it has made us significantly more lazy and unwilling to do anything remotely tiring.
I'm sure you have come across many people in your life who say things like "I don't feel like it" or "I'm not ready yet" and all those different excuses to delay their actions. Maybe you have said it yourself too, but let me tell you a little secret: You're never going to 'feel like it' or be 'ready enough' to do anything.
Change doesn't come from when you feel like doing something, but when you actually take actions without letting your sub-conscious thoughts interfere with your goals. If 'feeling like it' made change, then nobody would go to work. Hell, I wouldn't even be writing this article.
There are billions of articles on the internet on how you can feel motivated, but still almost none of them actually show you a long term solution on how you can initiate action but rather just give you a short adrenaline boost for an activity or two.
Accountability, Not Motivation
Motivation is short lived and dies off almost in an instant. You have to constantly search for ways to keep yourself motivated. Accountability, on the other hand, cuts through all the bullshit and gets straight to the point.
While motivation tells you to wait till you actually want to do work, accountability reminds you that shit needs to get done no matter how you are feeling and that making excuses will only make things even worse.
The habit of always wanting motivation for doing any kind of work is dangerous. It makes your brain think that without it, it can't function, which is a lie. You need to make yourself responsible and not have a feeling take control of your system, especially the system that actually gets shit done.
This is one of the main reasons how successful people became successful in the first place. They were accountable to their work. They knew that time won't wait for their crap and that they need to take action as soon as possible.
The 5-Second Rule
In her speeches and her book 'The 5 Second Rule', Mel Robbins brilliantly and straightforwardly explains why motivation is "complete garbage". In one of her talks with Tom Bilyeu, the host of Impact Theory, she explains in great detail that,
The way that our minds are wired and the fact about human beings is that we are not designed to do things that are uncomfortable or scary or difficult. Our brains are designed to protect us from those things, because our brains are trying to keep us alive.
This gives out a very clear message that even though we know that we need to do all those things in order to start making change, our brains don't let us because it's simply not designed to do so. It's biggest priority is to keep us alive, but that priority sometimes becomes an obstacle for us. So then what's the solution? How do we trick our brains into letting us do these unpleasant yet important things?
Well, according to Mel (see what I did there?), there is a five second window between knowledge and action. What this means is, every time you think of doing something that you know is important but is also unpleasant, our brain, within five seconds, starts to make you think that doing that thing is a bad idea. It tries to sabotage your willpower and keeps you from taking any action.
Again, it does so because it is designed that way; it's designed to protect you from any potential harm. To counter this, the advice Mel suggests, which may sound stupid at first but works like magic is, count down to five before doing anything and then just... do it. Like a rocket ship. Blast yourself into doing that thing.
Doing this won't let your brain develop worrying and doubting thoughts and you'll be able to take actions much more quickly. The awesome part is, it works for all kinds of things. Don't wanna get off your bed? 5,4,3,2,1.. and you're on your feet; don't wanna go to work? 5,4,3,2,1.. and you're packing your briefcase; don't wanna write an article for your blog? 5,4,3,2,1.. and your hands are moving.
It's crazy how something so simple and stupid can be so useful and handy. Before I go, I want you guys to watch her interview with Tom Bilyeu. I honestly think that it has the potential to change your perspective, make you more confident, and make your life a lot more easier.
Your life comes down to your decisions and if you change your decisions, you will change everything.
If you liked this article or found it useful, you might also like:
- Designed To Desire - Why Humans Beings Are Never Truly Content
- How The Hunger For Perfection Ruins The Quality Of Life
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