A Video By Manoj J Lekhi

What is the 5-Second Rule?

The 5-Second Rule says that in small decisions just follow your gut, your intuition.

What does that mean? How do we listen to our inner voice?

How to be spontaneous? How do we follow our gut or intuition?

It is basically listening to that instinctive thought which comes to us in the fi rst 5 seconds. For example, a beggar comes to us and we really feel compassion for him. We want to give him Rs.100/-. But the logical mind interrupts and says, ‘Are you crazy? How can you give Rs.100/- to someone you don’t know? He may drink or do something undesirable, or he may be encouraged to beg even more.’ So this is the way our logical mind intervenes.

We use the left brain so much that we lose out on our spontaneity. The child-likeness within us gets suppressed. We may think it is a wise decision but in the process, we lose out on life itself.

In fact, this dilemma of whether or not to give money to a beggar was one of the first few questions I asked my master 25 years ago. He just laughed and said ‘Hey Babu, it doesn’t matter if you give or don’t give to the beggar, just do what you feel like at that moment.’ Well, it took me 25 years to understand experientially.

I applied this principle continuously during my entire padyatra (penniless pilgrimage). Many a time, people would say, go in this direction, take the highway, it is quicker. But it didn’t appeal to my mind. I wanted to experience the villages, the quietness, the silence, so I would quickly run away from the highways, cities or towns, in fact, from any crowded place. Then people would advise me to go a particular way so that I would get more help or a chance of getting more lifts, but I would always follow my inner calling. I would generally always choose the other way, the longer routes and the smaller villages and be more delighted about it.

In each of us, there are 3 voices working all the time, the voices of:

The Parent (Conditioning),

Adult (Our logical mind), and

Child (The playful and exploring nature).

In short, the 5-Second Rule is listening to the inner child within us. Let us listen to that inner child in us and be very happy individuals.

A Super Leader operates based on his gut feeling which is nothing but applying the 5-Second Rule. A Super Leader has mastered this art of bypassing his intellect when it’s not required.

The 50-Hour Rule

The 50-Hour Rule is a key point to remember – Always procrastinate when you are vibrating at a low level or are in low energy. The 50-Hour Rule says that delay all your decisions, delay all your actions when it comes from low vibrational thoughts or feelings. Delay it for 48-50 hours.

So for a negative feedback, if you want to send an email, surely send it but send it after two days. You can write it down immediately but keep it as a draft and send it after two days. For the same message, you will fi nd your thoughts have changed. The same anger and hatred you wanted to express has changed dramatically after two days. This is very healthy procrastination.

A Super Leader operates from the 50-Hour Rule for communication induced from low vibrations.