This is an excerpt from “The Five Second Rule” by Mel Robbins. I used to work at the Wall Street Journal Radio network which broadcast all over the country. I was always a bit intimidated working there feeling I was in a little over my head. But there was a note hung on the wall in one of the studio’s that read….feeling panicky or nervous means that you care. That really put me at ease. It obviously meant I wasn’t the only one that felt nervous about what I was doing. It was time to put my brave on and move forward!
Courage and bravery aren’t about not feeling fear. It’s about being afraid and choosing to do it anyway. This comes easily for some people while being really difficult for others. I wasn’t afraid to try anything when I was younger. Then I got to a point where I second guessed every decision I made. I didn’t like it but couldn’t seem to break out of it. I was so afraid of making the wrong decision. I finally was able to break the pattern by reading about how even the wrong decision is better than indecision. I had images of a squirrel squished in the middle of the road because he couldn’t decide which side to run to. Hey, it may be gruesome but it worked!
The thing about fear is you have to realize what you are afraid of. Is it just being rejected? Who cares? So, someone says no to you. Big freaking deal. Life goes on. I have come to realize that holding back for any reason is never good. Even if you are making a mistake you are learning from it and it is preparing you for something to come in the future. Get that brave on! You can do it.
You can start testing out your brave muscles small like asking for things you normally wouldn’t. Remember I told you earlier this week about the Vogue magazine that was $9.99? I wanted to read the article about Taylor Swift but didn’t want to spend that much. It was already out of date as the next months issue was already on the stand. I asked if I could get a discount since it was already past it’s prime. And the cashier gave me $5.00 off. A perfect example of when you don’t ask, the answer is always no. This will not always work. But sometime it will and it could be a good way for you to start practicing those brave muscles.
Or just jump right in. I often marvel at how much courage I had when I was younger without really even thinking about it. I got a job that took me out on my own for the very first time about an hour away from my hometown. I didn’t really even think I was being brave at the time. I was just thinking that I was doing what I had to do to get where I wanted in my career. I didn’t continue to be this decisive. I spent a few years where it seemed I couldn’t make a decision on my own without running to someone for their advice. I’m happy to say I have gotten over that and I just plow forward with most things in my life. You know how I got over the indecision…I just started making decisions. Good or bad but things started working out. We moved to an area I had always wanted to live. We purchased a house way before I thought we could afford. I didn’t let fear stop me. I just made decisions that I knew would make me happy. And the fact that these decisions worked out gives me confidence that my future decision-making skills are spot on.
I mentioned the 5-second rule book I read recently by Mel Robbins. Her theory is if you couldn’t backward from 5 and then spur yourself into action that decisions are much easier to make. You don’t have time to talk yourself out of them. There are many ways to hone your decision-making skills so even if you have always been indecisive it doesn’t mean you can’t change and become a decision-making machine.
So, if you are struggling with a decision right now just pick an option. The one that will have the most benefits for you. Don’t doubt your decision and move forward as if it were the only option all along. Be confident and watch how indecision disappears from your life.
It is “I wish it were cocktail Friday”, Thursday. Make a decision today that you normally wouldn’t. Have a damn cocktail today! And see how good it feels to be indecisive! Check out my website at Hopefulist.com for all things Hopefulist and go make today, your best day yet!
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