You Can’t Turn Back Time: The 5 Second Rule

What was coach thinking?!

You can’t turn back time, but growing up an athlete, I noticed that everyone was always asking about the coach. They’re always wondering what was going on inside the coach’s head. Sometimes, they praise the coach.

“Oh my gosh, that was the greatest call of all time.”

“What made your coach make that decision? It was brilliant!”

“Did you learn that from your coach? He must be amazing.”

And sometimes, they’d have the exact opposite attitude.

“What was your coach thinking?”

“How could your coach have done that? Unbelievable…”

“What was your coach thinking?”

“Do you even like your coach? Is he a good coach?”

“Does he always make terrible calls?”

You Can’t Should’ve

The answer to these questions is always the same. Does it really matter? The best coaches don’t second guess themselves. They don’t think about what they should’ve done. They can’t turn back time. If there is something they can improve upon, they say, “Next time, I will…”

Dr. Wayne Dyer used to be a professor of counseling psychology at St. John’s University in New York City. On his audio CDs, “How to be a No-Limit Person”, he speaks about people who feel they “should’ve” done something.

He explains that you can’t “should’ve”. You never can “should’ve” done anything because it is in the past! You can’t turn back time! If you can “should’ve” done something, then it would’ve gotten done. What you need to say instead is “Next time, I will.” When that time comes, use this strategy:

The 5 Second Rule

It’s called the 5 second rule and is the title of written Mel Robbins best selling book..

The purpose of this strategy is to shut down your inner critic, or your inner voice, to allow you to act. It gives you the freedom to take action, to stop procrastinating, and to stop yourself from doing something you know isn’t the best option. When you want to do something you know in your gut is what you want but you’re unsure, anxious about it, or literally just feel frozen or stuck, just count down from five.

5-4-3-2-1-GO

On GO, TAKE ACTION!

Do you remember the last time you said to yourself, “I should’ve gone to workout instead of sitting on the couch.” “I should’ve done those last 3 reps but I was tired.” “I should’ve ate that salad instead of the burger.” “I should’ve made those calls instead of watching TV.”

Remember, we can’t “should’ve” and we can’t turn back time. Next time you’re in the moment and you’re telling yourself, “I should do this” or “I should do that”, count down from 5, and then do what you need to do. This strategy will make you the most productive version of yourself you have ever been. This strategy will help you turn your inner self-talk from “I should’ve,” to “I will,” and then to to “I DID.”

You can’t turn back time

What are your favorite part about this article? Comment below.

If you have any questions, let us know. We’re here for you!