Start Practicing the 10 Second Rule and Save Yourself From a Lot of Stressful Moments

Have you ever been going somewhere and just before you got there, the thought crossed your mind? Oh, man, I forgot my. And whatever it is you forgot suddenly hits your mind. Today, I'm going to give you the secret that will help you for the rest of your life not to ever have to face that situation again.

Welcome to becoming wiser with Dr. Robert A. Rohm, author and world renowned public speaker, as he shares stories involving his experiences and lessons learned in a good spirited, positive and fun way. Here's Dr. Robert A. Rohm.

Hi, I'm Dr. Robert Rohm. In today's podcast, I'm going to teach you what I have come to call the 10 second rule. Now, the 10 second rule is something that I learned from my children. Actually, I have four grown daughters now, but when they were going to school, they taught me one of the greatest lessons I've ever learned in my life. I call it the 10 second rule. So let me give you a little bit of background as to how this was developed, because I'm sure, I'm confident, I'm positive the same situation has happened to you. We'd be in the car and we'd be going to school in the morning, and one of them would say, I forgot my lunch. One would say, on another trip, I. I forgot my PE clothes. On a different trip, I forgot my science project. On a different trip, I forgot my piano books. Today's piano lessons. I mean, every time we were on our way to school in traffic, usually running a little bit late, usually running a little bit stressed out, I forgot my books, I forgot my lunch, I forgot my lunch money, I forgot my PE clothes. It was always something. Now, having to turn around and go back in traffic doesn't exactly make you have a great day. It sort of sets the tone for, wow, this day's already gotten off to a bad start and we're just at the beginning of it. So one day when I was really frustrated having to turn around and go back home, I asked one of my children, hey, I'm just curious, how are you able to remember this now?

Got real quiet in the vehicle. They were thinking. Usually when you ask somebody a question, it requires a little bit of thinking. And that's exactly what they were doing. They were thinking. And finally one of them said.

Well, I was thinking about it now. So I wanted to elaborate on this. I said, how are you thinking about it now? Well, I was sitting here and we're on our way to school. And I know when I get to school, I have to have my homework and all Of a sudden, it dawned on me. I did my homework, but I left it on my desk at home, and I don't have it. And now I remember it. So then I asked the $64,000 question. If you can remember it now, why couldn't you remember it while we were at home? And they always said the same thing. And here's what they said. Well, I wasn't thinking about it then. Don't miss this. Here's the payoff. I wasn't thinking about it then. I'm thinking about it now. So what went through my mind was, how do we shift the now in the car back to the then while we're still at home and your homework is only a few feet away on a desk in your room that you can run get? So after being frustrated and dealing with, I forgot my lunch, I forgot my books, I forgot my homework, I forgot my PE Clothes, I forgot my science project, and on and on and on. You see, there's an old saying. Never complain about what you allow. And actually, I was the one allowing it because I was the driver, I was the leader. I was the family man who was taking my kids to school in the morning. So I guess I did have a little bit of involvement in the process. So I said to all my daughters, I had four girls at the time, and I said to them, all right, we're gonna start something new. It's gonna be called the 10 second rule. Because y' all just said to me, I was thinking about it now. Now that we're in the car, now that we're halfway to school and now that we have to turn around and go back in traffic and bumper to bumper, and then turn around and come back to school and it'll be more traffic. Then we're gonna eliminate this. We're gonna create the 10 second rule. And the 10 second rule always happens at home. It doesn't happen in the car. The 10 second rule happens at the back door. It's when we're all at the back door and we're getting ready to go and we turn it into a game. We turn it into a fun activity. This isn't about beating someone up. This isn't about being hateful, mean, sarcastic. This is about success. This is about learning a methodology that actually works. So I said, we're going to institute the 10 second rule. And they were all excited. Well, what is the 10 second rule? We're going to stop at the back door for 10 seconds. We're going to look at each other, and I'm Going to say to you, do you have your lunch? Do you have your lunch money? Do you have your books? Do you have your homework? Today's Tuesday. Do you have your piano books? Do you have your PE Clothes? Is there anything that you needed to get signed that you have? Parents usually have to sign a paper, report card or something. Anything need to be signed? Any. Anything. A science project, anything unusual going on? Wow. They just got all excited about it because now we have a brand new opportunity to succeed. We have a brand new opportunity to not fail. We have a brand new opportunity to work together to create collegiality, teamwork, camaraderie, and all those great words that people use that they really don't have a clue as to how you make that happen, how you bring it about.

So we talked about it a little bit more, and I said, I just want to make sure I understand. You can remember it in the car because you're thinking about it. Is that right? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm thinking about it now. I'm on the way to school and I'm thinking, I have PE Today. I have piano lessons today. I'm going to have lunch today. It's on my mind now. In other words, now I'm thinking about it. So what we're going to do is we're going to move the car ride to the back door, and at the back door, we're going to pretend like we're in the car, except we have not left the house yet and everything is only a few feet away. Well, so the next morning, we all got by the back door. Everybody was dressed, excited, in their right mind, getting ready to have a great day. And I said, all right, 10 second rule. Everybody got their homework? Everybody have their book bags?

Anything unusual today? A science project. Everybody got their PE Clothes. Anybody have piano lessons today at school? And whatever it was, sometimes they would even remember things that I didn't mention. Oh, oh, I needed to get a paper signed. Well, I didn't bring that up. But you see, we were now in don't miss this. Don't miss this. We were now in thinking mode. Listen, I'll be 74 years old on my next birthday. Coming up in a few weeks. The hardest thing I have ever learned to do in my life is think. The hardest thing anybody will ever learn to do is think. I once heard Brian Tracy say, the activity that you will get paid for the most in any profession in your life, whatever it is, whatever field of study it is, or whatever area of job vocation, whatever it is the ones that get paid the most are the ones who know how to think.

Now think about that for just a second. That's why a heart surgeon usually makes more than someone who maybe is the maintenance engineer picking up the trash on your street. Not to belittle them in any way, I'm grateful for them, but one requires more thinking. Usually a higher skilled thinker does better financially and in any endeavor, according to Brian Tracy, the one that gets paid the most is the one who knows how to think the best. I have seen that happen over and over and over. I have talked to people I have shared this topic with for many, many years. I'm thinking of one of my friends in Canada. Her name is Wendy. Wendy has three sons. I was talking to Wendy one day and she said, the 10 second rule has changed our whole family dynamic. We stop at the back door and we look at each other and we say, 10 second rule. She said, if I ever forget it, one of my children brings it up, mom, mom, we haven't done the 10 second rule. And everybody stops and looks at each other and says, do you have your lunch? You have your book bag? You have your PE clothes? Do you have any notes that need to get signed? She said, invariably somebody will come up with something and go, oh man, shoot, I forgot my. Whatever it is they forgot and they'll run get it. She said, you know, it's a whole lot easier to get it while you're still at the house than when you're out on the highway and having to turn around. I thought that's been my experience too, Wendy. And so let me just say to all of you listening today, this will save you a lot of stress because when you're in the car and you go, oh my gosh, I'm on my way to the airport and I forgot my passport, wouldn't it have been better to stand at the back door and go, now where am I going? I'm going to the airport. Well, I know that, but where are you going when you get there? Well, I'm flying to Cancun, Mexico. I'm flying to Toronto. I'm flying to Los Angeles. Well, do you have your driver's license? Do you have your passport?

Do, do you have your change of clothes with you? Do you have everything that you need? Some of you have heard of Stephen Covey. He wrote the book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. One of the seven habits is this. Learn to see the end from the beginning. We would call that retrofitting or backing out. What's going to happen at the end and bring it forward, forward, forward, forward, forward, till you get to where you are right now. So then you could see, okay, well if that's where I'm going to end up, how am I going to back this thing up to where I am today so I can see how to get to where I'm going? That's just another way of saying, you got to learn the 10 second rule. So I hope today's podcast has been simple enough to understand and practical enough to apply. Learn to stop before you leave the house, or if you're sitting in the car, before you put it in reverse, before you put it in drive, before you leave, ask yourself for 10 seconds, where am I going? Do I have everything I need?

Do I have my credit cards? Do I have any cash? I love my wife. She is. She believes in a cashless society. I'll ask her every time she leaves the house, do you have any cash? I think I have a dollar usually. And by the way, here's your bonus for today. Elderly gentleman friend of mine told me one time, do you know what's the perfect amount of money to have in your pocket? See, I'm just giving you this as a bonus. What's the perfect amount of money to have in your pocket at all times? Answer $38. I asked him, he was much older than me. I said, why 38? He said, $120 bill, one ten dollar bill, one five dollar bill and three one dollar bills. Now I know you may be living in a different country and your money denominations don't play that way. But when my wife's leaving, I'll say, sweetheart, you have any money? Well, I've got a dollar. I'll say, wait a minute and I'll give her $38. I'll give her a 20, a 10, a 5 and 3 ones. And I look at her and say, one of my mentors said, that's the exact right amount of cash. I know you have a credit card. I know we have all kind of apps. I get it. I still like having $38 in my pocket. So back to our topic today. As we wind this up, I hope that your whole life will be different because you've learned the 10 second rule. It has saved my neck and other parts of my body many, many times by simply saying, where am I going? What do I need? What will I need when I get there? If I'm traveling somewhere, do I have everything that I need? Do I have my noisemaker that's going to make the white noise room in my hotel room I have right here in my hand. Just a quick example from a recent trip. Do you have all the shoes you need? Socks, long pants? Because one of the restaurants requires long pants. Do you have your PJs, that's pajamas and your slippers? If you wear bedroom shoes, do you have your shirts, all the toiletries? I have everything written down. Do you know when I looked at it before I left the house because I have painfully discovered when you get somewhere and think, oh man, I forgot my. Whatever it is you forgot, it's going to be a sickening feeling and a bad day. I don't want to have sickening feelings. I want to have great feelings and great days. And I know how to do that because I practice the 10 second rule. I'll take credit for it since I invented it with my family, but I give it to you to use for the rest of your life. I hope today and Learning about the 10 second rule will make a major difference in your life and future. I look forward to our next time together. Thank you so much. God bless you. Bye Bye.

For more information about this podcast, please visit www.becomingwiserpodcast.com.