What We Are Reading Today: ‘The 5 Second Rule’

Photo/Supplied
Short Url
Updated 18 July 2023
Follow

What We Are Reading Today: ‘The 5 Second Rule’

After spending 19 years of her life jumping from one job to another, without any recognized accomplishments, neglecting her husband’s and children’s needs, surrendering to alcohol, and even battling her laziness to turn off the television, Mel Robbins realized that her life was similar to what she was viewing on TV.

While watching an advertisement for a space shuttle taking off, she meticulously observed the spaceship countdown and suddenly discovered the similarity between the mysterious future that awaited the spaceship and her own life if she decided to get off the sofa and make a change.

Her book, “The 5 Second Rule,” was published in 2017 and primarily revolves around the idea of acting on a goal immediately, within the first five seconds. Otherwise, the brain will discard the creative thought and dismiss the desire to achieve it.

In the book, Robbins said: “When you feel yourself hesitate before doing something that you know you should do, count 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, go, and move toward action.”

She points out that motivation is not necessary for productivity and notes that when a person has complete control over their life, activities, and the future, they become happier and more successful. The five-second rule, as described by Robbins, provides a sense of control over situations and events, contrary to popular belief.

The author also discusses a fundamental principle of the rule, which she describes as “the power of the push” — the courage to convince one’s brain and push it to respond to daily tasks or general orders.

This logic, she added, should be applied when a person is afraid to accomplish something but knows they must do it.

Another important point she highlights is overcoming procrastination.

Robbins claims the brain can be controlled and directed toward achieving desired goals.

“The 5 Second Rule” is available at Jarir Bookstore for SR129 ($34) and can be found on amazon.com.

 

 


What We Are Reading Today: ‘The Spike’ by Mark Humphries

Updated 17 November 2024
Follow

What We Are Reading Today: ‘The Spike’ by Mark Humphries

We see the last cookie in the box and think, can I take that? We reach a hand out. In the 2.1 seconds that this impulse travels through our brain, billions of neurons communicate with one another, sending blips of voltage through our sensory and motor regions.

Neuroscientists call these blips “spikes.” Spikes enable us to do everything: talk, eat, run, see, plan, and decide. In “The Spike,” Mark Humphries takes readers on the epic journey of a spike through a single, brief reaction.


What We Are Reading Today: ‘Lost Souls’ by Sheila Fitzpatrick

Updated 16 November 2024
Follow

What We Are Reading Today: ‘Lost Souls’ by Sheila Fitzpatrick

When World War II ended, about 1 million people whom the Soviet Union claimed as its citizens were outside the borders of the USSR, mostly in the Western-occupied zones of Germany and Austria.

These “displaced persons,” or DPs—Russians, prewar Soviet citizens, and people from West Ukraine and the Baltic states forcibly incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1939—refused to repatriate to the Soviet Union despite its demands.

Thus began one of the first big conflicts of the Cold War. In “Lost Souls,” Sheila Fitzpatrick draws on new archival research, including Soviet interviews with hundreds of DPs, to offer a vivid account of this crisis, from the competitive maneuverings of politicians and diplomats to the everyday lives of DPs.


What We Are Reading Today: Leibniz in His World: The Making of a Savant

Photo/Supplied
Updated 15 November 2024
Follow

What We Are Reading Today: Leibniz in His World: The Making of a Savant

  • Drawing on extensive correspondence by Leibniz and many leading figures of the age, Audrey Borowski paints a nuanced portrait of Leibniz in the 1670s, during his “Paris sojourn” as a young diplomat

Author: Audrey Borowski

Described by Voltaire as “perhaps a man of the most universal learning in Europe,” Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646–1716) is often portrayed as a rationalist and philosopher who was wholly detached from the worldly concerns of his fellow men. Leibniz in His World provides a groundbreaking reassessment of Leibniz, telling the story of his trials and tribulations as an aspiring scientist and courtier navigating the learned and courtly circles of early modern Europe and the Republic of Letters.

Drawing on extensive correspondence by Leibniz and many leading figures of the age, Audrey Borowski paints a nuanced portrait of Leibniz in the 1670s, during his “Paris sojourn” as a young diplomat and in Germany at the court of Duke Johann Friedrich of Hanover. She challenges the image of Leibniz as an isolated genius, revealing instead a man of multiple identities whose thought was shaped by a deep engagement with the social and intellectual milieus of his time. Borowski shows us Leibniz as he was known to his contemporaries, enabling us to rediscover him as an enigmatic young man who was complex and all too human.

 

 


What We Are Reading Today: Henry V by Dan Jones

Updated 14 November 2024
Follow

What We Are Reading Today: Henry V by Dan Jones

Dan Jones’ “Henry V” examines the life and leadership of England’s greatest medieval king.
In 1413, when Henry V ascended to the English throne, his kingdom was hopelessly torn apart by political faction but in less than ten years, he turns it all around. By common consensus in his day, and for hundreds of years afterward, Henry was the greatest medieval king that ever lived.
A historical titan, Henry V transcends the Middle Ages which produced him, and his life story has much to teach us today.

What We Are Reading Today: ‘Following the Bend’ by Ellen Wohl

Updated 13 November 2024
Follow

What We Are Reading Today: ‘Following the Bend’ by Ellen Wohl

When we look at a river, either up close or while flying over a river valley, what are we really seeing?

“Following the Bend” takes readers on a majestic journey by water to find answers, along the way shedding light on the key concepts of modern river science, from hydrology and water chemistry to stream and wetland ecology.

In this accessible and uniquely personal book, Ellen Wohl explains how to “read” a river, blending the latest science with her own personal experiences as a geologist and naturalist who has worked on rivers for more than three decades.