I

HOW TO BECOME THE HAPPIEST PERSON

YOU KNOW

n the next three chapters, you’ll learn the step-by-step approach to how you can
use the #5SecondRule in combination with some recent research-based
strategies to beat fear, stop worrying, manage or cure anxiety, and change the way
you think.

If you’ve seen me on TV as a commentator for CNN or read my columns in
SUCCESS magazine, it’s easy to assume that I was born with the confidence of a
warrior. That assumption only gets strengthened when you watch my YouTube
videos, my TEDx Talk, or experience me live on stage. Yes, I am confident now, but
I was not born this way. For most of my adult life, I was a loud-mouthed extrovert
who was plagued by deep insecurity. Confidence is a skill I’ve built over the years by
practicing acts of everyday courage.

What a lot of people don’t know about me is that I have suffered from anxiety
for more than twenty-five years. I had debilitating post-partum depression when
our first daughter Sawyer was born and I couldn’t be left alone with her for the first
two months. I have taken Zoloft to control my panic attacks for nearly two decades.
The struggle with my thoughts has been real and, at times, terrifying.

When I first discovered the Rule, I used it to change my behavior. The Rule
worked wonders, and as acting with everyday courage became second nature, my
confidence grew stronger. However, anxiety never disappeared. It was there
simmering beneath the surface. I focused on learning to live with it, managing it,
and making sure I didn’t let it boil over into full blown panic.