5 Seconds

It’s all you have to live your life.

There are days when words come bursting out of thoughts waiting to be put out there in the universe, and then there are days like today.

I’m never really at a loss of words, most definitely not at a loss of thoughts – then again maybe I’m just at a loss of channeling them.

I wrote the last time about how just a little bit of travel has opened my mind to a whole new perspective on life – and since then I feel like I’ve been able to slow down, look at things objectively, ask myself those real questions – it doesn’t matter if I don’t have all the answers, you never do, but at least I’m aware, of what is, what needs to be, and what I can or can’t do about it.

One thing I know I can do, I know I want to, is share my experiences, in the hope that I will be able to touch someone’s life, just as those countless experiences of others’ have touched mine. And right now, I’d like to share what is going on in my mind.

As you may know from reading my previous posts, I stand at a crucial junction in my life, one where I need to make a decision about the choice I’ve already made. From here on, it’s my decision, my consequences, but also my adventure.

While I was talking to Michael a few days ago, I decided to have all my walls down and talk about the thoughts that I, until then, hadn’t had the courage to even string together in a sentence.

I realized that my fear of being let down was weighing me down, making me think of scenarios before the actual event of being let down had even occurred!

Isn’t it funny how your mind can trick you, control you? A powerful thing, our mind. But we all know, with great power comes great responsibility. And this time, it’s mine.

The thing we often tend to forget is that your mind, it originates in your brain, which is just an organ in your body – the key here being your. You control it, not the other way around. And do you know when this control really happens? Within the first 5 seconds of the birth of your thought.

The thing is, our brain is constantly in autopilot mode to convince us to do otherwise – it’s a defense mechanism to “protect us” – from what? From actually acting on our thoughts, especially the more complex ones.

Think about it, it makes sense. If you think you need to work out, and you think a little more, your brain is going to convince you that it’s a bad idea, that you’ll feel worn out, that you won’t get enough sleep, that your body will be sore the entire day which would not be a good feeling. If you think about applying for that role at your dream company, think some more and your brain swoops in with a thousand reasons to stop you from doing so – what if you’re not good enough, why would they hire you, what if you don’t do well in the (non-existent) interview?

So why does your brain do this? Because you let it! You let it manifest those very subconscious thoughts that lie in your mind, all those excuses, and fears, and insecurities lying right beneath the consciousness, waiting to spring into action and control your brain. Most often they do.

This is exactly why you need to control your mind and act on your thoughts the minute you think of them – more often than not, acting on these thoughts bears more positive results, more liberating feelings, than the weight of those trapped in your mind.

Because what is trapped in your mind is a burden of your imagination, while the manifestation of those thoughts into reality, it’s something tangible that you can act on.

So go on, have that talk, sign up for that class, book that flight, send that text, apply for that role, take that leap, liberate your thoughts, make space for new ones. Life’s too short to live in the darkness of your mind’s imagination. Reality, good or bad, is a much better place to live in. It is in reality that you have some clarity, a choice, an answer, a direction, a way – and you know what, forward is the only one. All it takes is 5 seconds of insane courage, to act.