4 Takeaways From The High Five Habit

I’ve been a fan of Mel Robbins ever since I read The 5 Second Rule. That book saved my life and the lessons I learned from that book have stuck with me throughout the years. When I heard that she wrote a new book I knew I would be getting it. The High Five Habit was released on September 28, 2021. I started reading a few days after it was released.

Just like the 5 Second Rule, Mel Robbins has created another amazingly simple tool to better your life. She combines her experiences, science, and testimonials from others to show how effective this tool is. I learned a lot about myself and the power of the mind in The High Five Habit. I want to share what I’ve learned with you today. Before I get to that, you may want to know exactly what The High Five Habit Is.

What is The High Five Habit?

The High Five Habit is very simple. As soon as you wake up go to your mirror and give yourself a high five. This small act is anything but small for developing your confidence and self-acceptance. Mel Robbins points out that we have always associated high fives with celebrating and encouragement. Giving yourself a high five in the morning is a great way to start your day with encouragement. 

4 Takeaways From The High Five Habit

For such a simple habit, it has some life-changing benefits and meanings. There are so many more takeaways than these four that Mel Robbins discusses in the book. If these takeaways resonate with you, make sure you pick up a copy of The High 5 Habit.

The Most Important Person You Need To Cheer For Is Yourself

5  6  7  8, who do we appreciate? OURSELVES!! When you struggle with low self esteem and low self acceptance like I do, this can be hard to do.

However, by not trying to be our own cheerleader, we will only continue to be our worst enemy. We will stay stuck in a negative spiral that does us no good. We can’t cheer for others effectively if we don’t know how to cheer for ourselves.

Your Mind Isn’t In Control Of You, You Are In Control Of Your Mind

The mind is one of the most, if not the most, incredible part of our bodies. The more I learn about our brain, the more intrigued I am. Our mind controls so much! Sometimes it can lead us astray based on past experiences and thoughts. This is when we have to nudge it back the right direction. 

All this time I thought that our mind controls what we think, say, and do. After reading The High Five Habit, and learned about the different tools Mel Robbins mentions, I had a big realization. Our mind doesn’t control us as much as we can control it.

We can decide how we think about our situation, our world, and ourselves. There is something Mel says in her book that sums this up perfectly. “You can teach your mind to find things you WANT to see, things that elevate and support you, that make you feel happier and proud, things that lead you to your dreams.”

Jealousy & Guilt Can Be Good Things

I never thought I would type that sentence. I will say that the section of the book that talks about this took me by surprise. After reading it though, I totally agree, I have found a new way to look at both jealousy and guilt.

“Jealousy is a navigation tool, just like curiosity or desire. It is telling you the direction to steer your life.” This is the quote that changed my view on what jealousy could mean.

In this book, Mel Robbins encourages us to reflect on who or what makes us jealous and figure out why. Then figure out what you should do next to go into this new direction that you desire.

There are two kinds of guilt: there is productive guilt (who knew?) and destructive guilt. When your guilt helps you realize how you impact others. It makes you want to change. This guilt is good because you are kindly reminding yourself to change things up.

Destructive guilt happens when you blame yourself and put yourself down. This type of guilt helps no one, so it’s best not to get yourself to that point if you want to grow.

Visualization Only Works When You Visualize The Small

Visualization has always interested me, but anytime I tried it I never fully got it. Mel Robbins helped me understand why. You can’t just visualize paying off all your student loans. Instead you have to visualize yourself driving past the fast food restaurant and putting that money in savings.

You have to visualize not going on that website to shop during a sale. It’s those little things that are both easier, and more impactful, to visualize. This is called mentally rehearsing your future behaviors. By doing that you are more likely to follow through with those actions. 

As you can tell, The High Five Habit was an impactful book for me. Who knew a small action like high fiving a mirror could lead to so many great life tips?  Will you be reading the latest Mel Robbins book, or have you already read it?

About the Author

---