Good morning, my fellow living soul. I woke up this Monday feeling down, despite a good night’s sleep. I dragged myself out of bed, even though it was warm and I was still sleepy, and I forced myself to exercise and get to work. As I did, I lamented the low bank of clouds that often push over Seattle during this time of year. Clouds cover the sun and darken the sky, rain taps steadily, and the house is dark. Only lamps artificially light my way. I feel a little depressed and hopeless. Because I usually feel this way on dark days and today was a yucky Monday, I wondered how I could conquer the gloomy Monday blues.

An Inspiring Conversation

When I exercise, I sometimes like to watch YouTube. I’ll pop on an inspirational Ted Talk or interview with an interesting thinker. Today, I happened to find Marie Forleo’s chat with Mel Robbins, the author of The Five-Second Rule. Robbins invented The Five-Second Rule to help her overcome hesitation. It basically states that when you want to throw up your “emergency brake” on a situation you’re not sure about, count five seconds, and then plunge ahead. It’s a way to force yourself into listening to your positive gut instincts to progress positively in life. Robbins has a Ted Talk that outlines the idea, which is okay but not as thorough as her book.

Anyway, as I was watching, Robbins explained the concept behind her new book. It’s called The High 5 Habit. The High 5 Habit is a small gesture you do every day to get yourself motivated. It’s also a gesture that feels stupid and weird when you first do it. But as I listened to Robbin’s logic in doing it, I became convinced it could be effective.

Basically, the High 5 Habit means giving yourself a high-five every day in the mirror. Robbins created it right as the world was locking down from the Covid-19 pandemic. She felt exhausted, lost, old, and out of ideas. Also, she was super worried about her finances as the pandemic meant her husband, who was in the restaurant business, had to of course shut down for a while.

One day, Robbins saw herself in the bathroom mirror and realized that the woman staring back at her looked like crap and felt like crap. Without thinking, she high-fived herself. She laughed she said, feeling foolish. But the next day, she did it again, and when she did it again, she realized that the reason she’d done it was because she realized the woman in the mirror needed her support.

Being Our Own Best Friend

Robbins told how if any friend of hers felt down, she always could pump them back up with a pep talk. Help them see their good qualities, coach them back to feeling motivated, support their endeavors, and cheer on their dreams. But she said she hadn’t been doing that for herself. She realized there were actually two people in the bathroom with her every day, she and the mirrored image of herself. And that mirrored image, that woman she saw, kind of as her soul reflection, needed her support. So she started this habit of supporting that soul.

I felt inspired by Robbins’s simple but powerful gesture. Did I high-five myself today? Well, yeah, I did. And I felt dumb. Robbins says you have to high-five for five days before the silly feeling wears off. So I’ll stick with it. She also said that she’s found people who high-five themselves either laugh or cry. And the ones who cry are feeling some serious stuff. They’re realizing they haven’t ever supported themselves and oftentimes have dragged enormous baggage behind them through life: abuse, neglect, etc.

A Way to Start the Day

After I high-fived myself, I thought about how hard I am on that soul. How I always think I should get more done in the day than I do. How I waste time. And, if I miss a few little goals for myself, I beat myself up for it. That’s not helpful. As Mel Robbins said, just waking up and getting out of bed in the morning is an accomplishment. It means that despite whatever life threw at me in the past, I still decided to live on. So I’ve resolved to forgive myself for what I didn’t accomplish the previous day or how I failed or how I could have been more productive or a better person. Now, I see the soul of the woman in the mirror and think, “Life is tough and you’re doing a pretty decent job despite it all.”

When I thought in those terms, my disappointment with the weather evaporated. It no longer mattered. Rain or sun, I woke up. I got out of bed. I looked myself in the mirror and supported the soul who stared back, flaws and all. It was an accomplishment. The woman in the mirror would do what she could today. Hopefully, you too can high-five yourself in the mirror. Remember, wherever you are, this is a new day. That brings the wonderful gift of time to try and live life well again.

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