The High 5 Habit: Take Control of Your Life with One Simple Habit

The High 5 Habit: Take Control of Your Life with One Simple Habit

by Mel Robbins

The High 5 Habit by Mel Robbins is a powerful guide that will help you cultivate a daily habit of celebrating and supporting yourself. This book goes beyond the act of giving high fives to others but rather emphasizes the importance of giving high fives to oneself. With the help of this book, you will learn effective strategies to overcome self-doubt, negative self-talk, and a lack of self-belief. Through her science-backed wisdom and personal stories, Mel provides readers with practical tools and insights that will boost your confidence, happiness, and success.

Summary Notes

Boosting Self-Confidence with the High Five Habit

Loving and believing in ourselves can be challenging at times. We might struggle to see our own worth and constantly focus on our flaws instead of celebrating our successes. But this doesn't have to be permanent. In fact, there's a very simple way to turn things around: by giving ourselves a high-five in front of the mirror.

It may sound cliché, but simply giving ourselves a high-five can give us the encouragement and love that we need. It's a simple but powerful gesture that can help us believe in ourselves and give us the strength to do something we've never done before.

Just think about it: when we see someone struggling to run a marathon, a high-five from a stranger can be just the thing they need to keep going. The same concept applies to our daily lives. When we learn how to cheer ourselves on, either through a high-five or any other gesture that resonates with us, we're able to move towards our goals and dreams with renewed energy and motivation.

So, if you're feeling down on yourself or struggling to see your own worth, try giving yourself a high five. Take a moment to celebrate your successes, no matter how small they might seem. You might be surprised at just how far you've come on your journey.

Actions to take

Incorporating the High Five Habit into Your Morning Routine

The High Five Habit is a simple yet powerful activity that can help you start your day on the right foot. All you need is a few moments of quiet reflection in front of the mirror.

The idea is not to focus on your physical appearance but rather to connect with your inner self. Take some time to think about who you truly are and what you want to achieve. When you feel ready, give yourself a high five in the mirror. This small act can help you start your day feeling empowered and motivated.

Research has shown that in order to build a new habit, it needs to be easy to incorporate into your routine. By performing the High Five Habit each day, you'll prove to yourself that you can stick to a challenge, which can boost your confidence and sense of achievement.

Furthermore, it's important to reward yourself not only when you succeed but also when you face setbacks. By giving yourself a high five even after a failure, you're reminding yourself of your resilience and ability to overcome obstacles. This can help you stay positive and motivated, no matter what challenges come your way.

Actions to take

Loving Ourselves Truly

Self-love is crucial for our overall well-being and happiness, and it's something that we must actively work to cultivate. When we're born, we come into this world just as perfect as we are. But as we grow up, we sometimes receive messages that make us feel like something is wrong with us or that we're not enough. These messages can create a sense of disconnection from ourselves, making it difficult to love and accept ourselves for who we truly are.

To overcome this, we need to intentionally change our thoughts and actions. This process is known as a "neuroplastic response," where we actively rewire our brains to think and act in a more positive and self-affirming way. We can't genuinely love and accept ourselves if we constantly hate our bodies, so we must make an effort to show ourselves the love and respect that we deserve.

One way to do this is to look in the mirror and embrace ourselves as we are in the present moment. We need to recognize that we deserve celebration and support, just like any other person we cherish. It's not always easy, especially if we've spent a lot of time criticizing ourselves, but with practice and patience, it's achievable.

Actions to take

Cultivating an Attitude for Empowerment

Our minds are powerful tools that can be used to create the life we want. To do this, we must retrain our brain's Reticular Activating System (RAS) in order to take control and make meaningful changes.

The RAS is a part of our brain that helps us filter out information, allowing us to focus on what's important. By training our RAS to see the things we want to see, we can take advantage of its filtering ability to help us achieve our goals.

Behavioral activation therapy is one simple way to achieve this. Its core principle is to act as the person you want to become, regardless of how you may feel in the present moment. By taking physical actions that align with our desired self-image, we can shift our beliefs about ourselves and build momentum toward our goals.

When we take action, our RAS takes notice and recognizes the importance of what we're doing, which opens up a world of new options for us. This approach is especially powerful because it helps build self-acceptance, which is crucial for experiencing happiness and satisfaction in life. So, by taking positive actions that align with our desired self-image, we can create the life we want and enjoy a greater sense of fulfillment.

Actions to take

Reaping the Benefit of Jealousy

Jealousy is a strong emotion that you may already have experienced at some point. But while it is often associated with negativity, jealousy can actually be beneficial.

When we feel jealous, it's often because we see something that we want but don't have. It can be a sign that there's a desire within us that's not being fulfilled. But instead of letting jealousy get the best of us, we can use it as a motivator to make changes and work towards what we really want.

For example, let's say you're jealous of a friend who's landed a great job. Rather than letting that jealousy fester, use it as a reminder of what you want for yourself. Reach out to your friend and ask them about their journey. You might find that their path to success was full of challenges and setbacks, but they persevered and landed the job they wanted.

So, the next time you feel jealous of someone, embrace the feeling and examine it closely. Allow it to push you towards what is meant for you. Remember that everyone has the potential for success and joy in their own way, and that includes you.

Actions to take

Prioritizing Your Dreams Over Others'

Everyone wants to be accepted by others, and as a result, people often try to change themselves to fit in with a certain group. This can lead to anxiety and insecurity, especially for women, who are often trained to play certain roles and put pressure on themselves to look and act a certain way.

It's important to remember that while it's okay to care about other people's opinions, we shouldn't let them dictate our lives. It's essential to prioritize ourselves and take control of our own lives instead of letting our insecurities and the desire to fit in to guide our decisions.

Actions to take

Visualizing Your Dreams

Visualization is an incredible tool that can help you achieve your goals and manifest your dreams. Essentially, it involves using your Reticular Activating System (RAS) to tune in to what you truly desire and adjust your mindset to help make it a reality.

When you visualize your dreams, you activate something called the Zeigarnik effect. This is a mental coding system that stores your dreams and goals in your subconscious mind, making it easier for you to remember and stay focused on them. By visualizing your dreams correctly, you can start to bring them to life and make them a reality.

Research from UCLA has shown that when you visualize yourself performing the small, hard steps necessary to reach your goals, your brain actually responds in the same way as if you were physically performing those actions. This means that visualization can help you stay motivated, focused, and mentally prepared for the challenges that lie ahead.

But visualization is only part of the equation. Believing in yourself and your dreams is also essential to achieving them. It's important to trust in your own abilities and have faith in the universe or a higher power. Remember, everything that's happened in your life up to this point has been preparing you for something greater that's yet to come.

By following your dreams and believing in yourself, you can unlock your full potential and achieve anything you set your mind to.

Actions to take

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