Connex2019 Keynote Speaker Mel Robbins gets to the heart of motivation and leadership.
This year’s National Conference was an enlightening and invigorating experience for all who attended, but it wasn’t just because of the exciting unveiling of the new Connex brand. It was also thanks to the dynamic and empowering keynote address by Mel Robbins. The bestselling author and world-renowned public speaker inspired the Connex audience, explaining how, with simple changes, people can harness anxiety and self-doubt to transform their personal and professional lives.
Just 10 years ago, Robbins told the audience, she was in a rut. She was unemployed, her marriage was falling apart and she had issues with alcohol abuse. “I had trouble even getting out of bed every morning, day after day hitting the snooze button on my alarm to delay living my life,” she explained.
But one evening while watching television, she had an epiphany. “I looked at the TV and saw a rocket preparing to blast off,” she said. “I heard the countdown — 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 — and thought, that’s it. This is what my life needs.” The next morning, she used this countdown to propel herself out of bed. She repeated this countdown daily, using it not only to get out of bed, but to address other issues in her life, like managing her moods and finding the motivation to cold call potential employers.
Since then, she has expanded on this idea, developing what she terms the “5 Second Rule.” The premise is simply this: Whenever you’re faced with a decision, you have five seconds to act on it before your brain naturally tries to shut it down. Your mind will come up with excuses as to why the action isn’t worth it.
Following this simple mantra, she said, can help you create major changes in your life. But it’s not easy. The thought of change can be scary — and many people turn their sense of fear into anger. “It’s so much easier to be angry than afraid. It’s so much easier to complain than to force yourself to try and fix something,” Robbins said.
A strategy to overcome this fear and anger is to convince your brain you’re feeling something else. Translating certain negative emotions into more motivating and positive ones is a major part of Robbins’ philosophy. She explained how both feelings of anxiety and excitement bring about the same physiological changes in your body. The key difference is how your brain perceives these feelings. Robbins detailed a study conducted by Harvard Medical School that proved this concept. The study showed that during several different challenging situations, including standardized tests, track meets and negotiations, people who were able to convince themselves to be excited rather than nervous performed significantly better during that task.
But Robbins’ advice on making positive changes didn’t stop there. She also detailed how to grow your career and become an effective leader. “There’s only one behavior change that correlates to you making more money, getting a promotion or getting the credit you deserve, and that is whether or not your contributions are visible,” she elaborated.
If you’re already leading people, Robbins explained how you can better motivate people and improve productivity. She terms this “being a fan.”
Robbins explained that all people have an underlying want and need to be noticed — to know what they’re doing matters. The simple act of cheering for people, acknowledging their accomplishments and encouraging them to keep striving for greatness, is essential for any great leader, and in turn, any team. The law of reciprocity applies here, too. “If you make people feel like they matter, they will return the favor,” she said.
If you follow the tips and tricks Robbins laid out, you may be able to change and grow in your professional and personal life. To take off like a rocket, all you may need is a simple countdown — 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. That could be the catalyst to you actualizing the dreams you were afraid to realize. 
Five-Second Science
According to bestselling author Mel Robbins, those with a cynical mind may be wary of the idea that inspirational and willpower-based thinking is a cure-all that will lead to important life changes. But what if science was on your side? Robbins explained that part of the internal battle of stress versus excitement is a chemical process in the brain.
Cortisol is a hormone that is released in your body whenever you have feelings of nervousness or stress. The prefrontal cortex is the part of your brain that is involved in executive decision making. This includes problem-solving, self-control and what we generally deem as rational thought.
When cortisol hits this area of your brain, your ability to think critically and remember important information is compromised. However, scientists have found that if you trick your brain into thinking you’re excited rather than nervous, you can essentially cut off the flow of cortisol to the prefrontal cortex, leaving it unaffected.
This allows you to have rational thinking patterns during a normally stressful situation, so you can solve problems and plan long-term goals effectively. Thinking this way could be the first step on the road to self-improvement and meaningful life advancements.
According to motivational speaker Mel Robbins, whenever you’re faced with a decision, you have five seconds to act on it before your brain naturally tries to shut it down.
