Mel Robbins, renowned author and personal development expert, joined The Entrepreneur’s Studio, a podcast produced and sponsored by Heartland Payments Systems, to lead listeners on a discovery of reinvention through self-leadership. 

“I was trying to save myself from ruining my life, and I didn’t know how to take action,” said Robbins. “I was so stuck in this moment. I was so stuck in this experience that everybody gets stuck in, which is knowing what you need to do, but feeling so frustrated with yourself because you can’t make yourself do it.”

On part 1 of the conversation hosted by Heartland’s SVP of Marketing, Chris Allen, Robbins shares her secrets of overcoming hesitation and self-doubt through her science-backed 5-Second Rule and how to transform negative mindsets and habits that hold people back in business and in life. 

“There will always be an excuse not to do something,” said Robbins. “The only thing that changes your life or your health or your relationships is actions.” 

“This simple little countdown technique - 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 - it works,” continued Robbins. “The reason why it works is because the second you decide to start counting, you’ve made a decision to do something different. And that act of saying ‘5, 4, 3, 2, 1’ is the first domino. Counting backwards is an action.”  

“So that thing that you have been thinking about, whether it’s going to the gym, making that phone call, getting out of bed, walking away from that drink or having the conversation with the person who works for you, it all of the sudden moved from a thought to a decision to the first action, and now you’ve tapped into momentum in a new direction.” 

In the second episode, Robbins leans on her own business experience as she answers questions from small business owners around topics like overcoming doubt, eliminating distractions, taking the leap to run your business full time, reframing what it means to be a female entrepreneur, and much more. 

“If everything is important, nothing is,” said Robbins. “I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to have a game plan for what is going to be the singular focus you’re going to really care about the most, because you can’t care about everything.” 

When it comes to taking on a full-time business, Robbins says it’s important to draw the distinction between taking a leap of faith and strategically stepping into business. 

“One of those things is just being tired of doing both,” said Robbins. “The other is a calculated risk where you have looked at cash flow, you understand your budget and the income you need to pay your bills and you have cut back on your spending to give yourself a bigger runway.” 

“That is the definition of stepping into a business,” continued Robbins. “You’ve actually looked at the numbers, you understand the runway you have and you are comfortable tolerating the risk.” 

Ultimately, Robbins says, starting and running a business all comes down to aligning your goals with what brings you the most energy in your life. 

“I believe your purpose is to figure out what brings you individually more energy in your life and makes you come alive,” said Robbins. “And then your purpose is to share yourself, your story and that energy with the world. If your business becomes an obligation, it’s not going to be as successful as it could be. It’s not going to be fulfilling.” 

To hear more insights from parts 1 and 2 of the conversation with Mel Robbins, download and listen to The Entrepreneur's Studio for free on any major podcast platform. To find out more, visit theentrepreneurs.studio or follow us on Instagram.