Hey World Changer!
The past weekend I was in New York City and Philadelphia with my family at my cousin’s memorial service.
Marshall Freedman was 28 years old, and was hiking on a mountain in Hawaii with friends and coworkers. A storm surprised the group and worsened quickly. The visibility was so bad that they could barely see because of the dense fog and rain.
No one knows exactly what happened except that Marshall went ahead of the group to scout the trail and then fell tragically to his death.
I want to dedicate this blog post to Marshall’s memory but more importantly to his life.
He was a tremendous leader and his life and energy touched so many people.
He left this world a better place and will forever be missed!
Obviously my heart is broken with his passing, but I learned some valuable lessons this past weekend.
Number one, is that we only have right now.
Our life can end at any time.
Marshall was an elite water polo player in college and kept himself in amazing shape. He was prepared on the hike, didn’t act careless, or take any unnecessary risks.
Yet, he’s gone.
It can happen in an instant.
This really challenged me to reassess how I live with this daily consciousness.
We can’t change the past, and worrying about the future never produces fruit. We only have this moment.
Not to say we shouldn’t plan, but I believe many people are trapped in hypothetical future scenarios and/or dwelling on the past.
We aren’t judged by our intentions.
No one ever got arrested for thinking about robbing a bank.
So how does this pertain to my cousin’s passing?
Well I for one, have gotten too caught up in my business and haven’t valued relationships as much as I should.
This past weekend made me recommit to valuing, and showing how I value, the relationships in my life.
One thing I love about travel is that it “Forses” me to sit down and be still. I listen to podcasts or audio books and get some of my best thinking done.
I don’t believe in coincidences.
It’s no coincidence that the book I was listening to was the 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins (order here).
I had the pleasure of hearing Mel live 2 years ago and she rocked my world when I heard this rule, but had forgotten about it until a client recently referred her book to me.
So what is the 5 Second Rule and what does it have to do with my cousin’s passing?
Let me explain.
In life, we get results by having patterns. We form patterns from habits. The catch 22 is that this process works positively or negatively.
It is ALWAYS at work and we are ALWAYS getting a result.
I’ll let you read the 5 Second Rule for yourself, and I HIGHLY encourage you to do that, but my summary of the book is this:
The 5 Second Rule is the secret sauce to changing your habits.
For example, everyone knows how to lose weight. You eat less crap, and workout more.
So why do so many people struggle with it?
It’s because we have habits that prevent us from hitting our goals. No matter how much you want to change, write your goals out, create a vision board, practice meditation, or believe you can do it, nothing will change until you take action!
The caveat is that most people don’t know how to get started, and that’s the reason why we don’t take action.
This is where the 5 Second Rule comes in. When you have that moment of hesitation, doubt, fear, laziness, ect. count down 5,4,3,2,1 and then BLASTOFF like a rocket ship.
Sometimes this is just getting out of bed, or apologizing when you should.
Remember it’s the small, tiny steps compounded over time that produce results. Not the big massive things.
This small action helps you overcome fear and gives you the courage to move. The cool thing is that this becomes a habit too!
Mel details how this rule has helped thousands of people around the world get over their anxiety, decrease fear, cure depression, make more money, and even not commit suicide.
So next time you don’t feel like going to the gym, count down 5,4,3,2,1 and just go.
When you want to his the snooze button, count down 5,4,3,2,1 and get up.
When you are tempted to get mad at someone, count down 5,4,3,2,1 and just be patient.
Really, you are doing yourself a disservice if you don’t read this book. There’s a ton of amazing science that validates it, not just a bunch of people’s experiences.
I’ve used this rule to help create my morning routine. I used to be notoriously late (not that I’m perfect now, but much better than I used to be). So much so they used to call me “Late Nate”.
I even missed the bus for a football game one time. I’ll share more of these stories in the future…
So using the 5 Second Rule has specifically helped me get out of bed in the mornings.
The fact that you are reading this blog is a product of the 5 Second Rule. I DID NOT feel like writing this today, but I knew I had a deadline to hit so 5,4,3,2,1 LET’S GO!!!
Remember, you can't control how you feel, but you can always control your actions. Your brain is always going to protect itself and take the path of least resistance.
This where the 5 Second Rule helps you create new habits. The cool thing is that it gets easier the more you do it!
You aren't a procrastinator, you have a habit of procrastinating. You are a worrier, you have a habit of worrying.
So in light of my cousin Marshall’s memory, what are YOU delaying on getting started???
You can’t use the excuse that you don’t know how to get started anymore.
That moment you feel hesitation, use your heart and not your head and count 5,4,3,2,1.
You are only 5 seconds away from your life changing.
The habits that get you the patterns which get you the results are waiting.
We only get one life and we aren’t guaranteed anything.
So what are you waiting on my friend?
Your dreams are on the other side of your fears. Just get started. That’s the hardest part.
We are all on this journey together and you aren’t dealing with anything that other people aren’t dealing with too.
So honor my cousin Marshall Freedman by counting 5,4,3,2,1 next time you are scared of doing what you know you should be doing, and then take action!
If you would like to donate to his memory and the Memorial Fund in his honor, please follow this link…
And remember I believe in you, and there’s GREATNESS in you!
It just takes 5 seconds to find it…
Your friend,
Nate