The 40-second rule
“Start doing the thing to have energy to do the thing” - Bob Proctor
All of us have goals and dreams. And most of us even have full intentions of achieving them.
Why did I say “most of us” and not “all of us?” Because on the path that leads towards our dreams, we all reach a certain place where it becomes incredibly easy to do “the tradeoff” - trading what we want for what we already have. That is where only the ones with full intentions manage to keep their dreams.
For the ones with partial intentions, after doing the tradeoff, the dreams fade into the background, life moves on, and all of a sudden they find themselves saying “I wish I would have…”
And that is really sad when you think about it. A person loaded with potential, a story people want to hear, information people will pay for and benefit from, skills that could have made a difference… all that gone to waste.
How to safely pass the tradeoff spot without doing the tradeoff: the 40-second rule
When people are close to the “tradeoff spot” they see things out of perspective. All of a sudden the dreams they were after don’t seem to worth the effort and their current situation is seen as very comfortable.
Of course that these sudden shifts in perspective are nothing but dangerous, temporary illusions that should be dealt with carefully. The best way out of them: act on one of the things that doesn’t seem to be worth it, for 40 seconds. The short time limit will make the apparent sacrifice appear to be doable and acceptable, and chances are that by the time those 40 seconds are up you’ll be enjoying what you started and get it done!
I, for example, love reading. But there are days when my mind wanders off in some other places and the thought of reading a book isn’t so attractive anymore… In situations like that I simply pick up a book and read through it for 40 seconds (sometimes I even time that period on the clock). In more than 90% of the cases that I do so, I continue reading after the time limit expires. What’s more, in most cases the reason why I was avoiding it in the first place appears to have been very irrational afterwards.
Trading 40 seconds in exchange for a better future is probably the best deal you’ll ever make! And the best part: you can do it right now. Just get out there and for 40 seconds do something that can take you closer to your dream. Don’t worry if after the first try you stop… it doesn’t mean that you failed. Follow the 40-seconds rule again tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, and so on… because:
“It’s the little things you do that can make a big difference. What are you attempting to accomplish? What little thing can you do today that will make you more effective? You are probably only one step away from greatness.” - Bob Proctor
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I myself am also impressed by how much can be accomplished by taking a small step in the right direction. In the Esther and Jerry Hicks books, they describe a cross-country trip, explaining that as long as you keep moving in the right direction, no matter how fast, you will eventually get to where you are going. I find that I do much the same thing as you suggest, but instead of a set time, I complete something small. The good feelings of completing something reinforces the intention to keep going.
The danger of doing something small: you may end up doing small things for the rest of the day… Good to hear that it works for you though!
I don’t know about moving slowly in the right direction. It is true that you will eventually get to your destination point, but it is true only in theory. In reality, many people move so slow that they pass away before reaching the target.
The main idea in taking a small 40 second step is that a big one usually follows.
Thanks for the comment!
Yes indeed. Too many baby steps and you’ll find yourself practically stagnant. For me, it’s the ice-breaking act of deliberately moving in what I know to be the proper direction, that boosts my resolve and gets me past the critical moment. Then I can go on to bigger things