5 Seconds to Act

“Why is it so hard to do the little things that would improve my life? The way that our minds are designed is our minds are designed to stop you at all costs, from doing anything, that might hurt you…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” (Mel Robbins).

I’ve been looking at videos of people who have succeeded in different types of career choices. These are the main things they’ve all repeated, failure and hard work. Lot’s of people have bright ideas. However, a great idea is only that unless it’s followed by action, meaning, hard work. According to Mel Robbins, we have 5 seconds to act before our mind begins to “sabotage” our mind because the survival skills start to kick in. Anything that’s hard work, our mind, constantly, fights us back. What I have learned, in short, ACT NOW. It’s now or never.

Also, successful people, have failed A LOT. And guess what? They continued despite their failed career or relationships choices and moved on. I’ve repeated this in a different blog because this is another interesting aspect of life in people who are successful: If you haven’t failed, that means you have not been daring enough.

Here’s my piece of mind on all this, any positive advice, whether it makes you uncomfortable or not, take it in for yourself. At many times we feel comfortable telling people how to make their life better, but we don’t concentrate on the self. Why? Because the self has too many excuses. Pointing out the flaws of others is easy. But when it comes to us (the self), we blame everything on the universe and people. When someone else is in trouble or doing things wrong, it’s easy to say, “this is what you’re doing wrong.”

When I was young, I really wanted to conquer the world. I wanted to save lives and help them redirect their steps to God. Now, in my 30’s, I want to conquer the self. I want to overcome fears or any garbage that has entered my mind. Why? Because you cannot help others or the planet if your mind is poisoned with waste.

I have my own way of coping with negativity and cleansing myself from this crazy world we live in. Here’s my list. What your list?

1. Read the Bible
2. Exercise
3. Listen to motivational or inspirational people. ( I will provide a video below this list. I highly recommend it if you’re feeling uninspired or feeling  like a failure.)
4. Write
5. Set small goals, such as 30 minutes of reading, 30 minutes of writing my novel, 4 days of workout a week for 40 minutes.
6. Look at the positive side of people.
7. Avoid toxic people.
8. Shut down negativity with something positive.
9. Accept my emotions when I am angry or upset. ( Don’t hide these. We’re only human after all.)
10. I accept my flaws, and then I think, “Crud, I messed up. Now time to fix it.”
11. Don’t force or obligate anyone or anything. Things fall in their place at the right time, so patience.
12. Lastly, I’m still working on all these things. It’s okay because I am only human.
13. Now to finish my novel. I’m on chapter 8.

One last quote: “What makes you comfortable, can ruin you. But what makes you uncomfortable, is the only way to growth.”

©Ana P. Rose & Anaprose 2017.