What is the 51% Rule?

Happy Sunday and thank you so much for opening this week’s newsletter!

More than that though, I want to say an even bigger thank you to everyone who clicked the ad in last week’s newsletter! All it took was one click on the ad, and thanks to you, last week’s newsletter earned $32.40!

What a treat to be able to make some money from this newsletter that brings me joy to write to you every week. So thank you!

Let’s see what we can do this week! You’ll see the ad as you continue reading, so when you do - click away!! 😄 

The Birth of #TheLifeofJLOWE

This week, I was reflecting a bit on the newsletter I wrote 2 weeks ago, where I mentioned that I was coming up on a bunch of 1 year anniversaries in my life, especially since I graduated college. It made me stop to think about this newsletter, and how far it’s come since last year January when I penned my first post.

If you haven’t been here since the start, here’s my first every ‘blog post’ (it’s even hosted on a completely different website):

In fact, I was also reflecting on it because I was reading through my Whatsapp messages with my best friend and read our chat on the day I wrote my first ever “blog post” in January of 2023:

Quite literally, on a whim, at the start of 2023 I decided hey, it would be cool to just start writing a blog. This wasn’t a New Year’s resolution by any means - it was just a fleeting thought that ran through my mind and I had a moment of insane motivation to build something and started doing exactly that.

A few minutes after that, I hopped and Canva and sent my best friend this text:

And just like that, #TheLifeofJLOWE was born.

(Don’t mind my jerked chicken Whatsapp background, it’s a reminder of a good time in my life #JerkedChickenFridays - iykyk)

What does it mean to have a “Bias to Action”?

Something that has benefitted me over the course of my life is that I’m not the kind of person to sit on my hands and just have big ideas and never take action. I’ve developed a “bias to action”, where I’m more inclined to just do it (like Nike), rather than think too much before diving into a new idea.

I’ve written before about learning how to become comfortable with being a beginner at something new especially as an adult, and I truly believe that my comfort with being a beginner has allowed me to develop this bias to action.

Having a bias to action means that I try not to think too much before I try something new, and I do my best not to overthink. Most times, we become victims of “analysis paralysis” and find ourselves stuck in the preparation and anticipation stage before actually doing something new.

If that sounds like you, you’re not alone. Tons of people overthink and find every reason why they can’t do that thing that they’ve always wanted to do. I still find myself doing it too, which is why I said “I try” and “do my best” not to overthink because I think that's our default.

We’re naturally scared of the unknown, but one thing that having a bias to action has taught me is that we don’t learn by thinking, we learn by doing.

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So what is the 51% Rule?

Before I get into this rule, I want to cite my sources! This one isn’t a paid ad, but I actually heard of the 51% rule that I’m about to describe from the Mel Robbins Podcast. Here’s the link to that episode if you want to take a listen from the horse’s mouth:

Ok, so now what is the 51% rule?

The 51% rule is essentially that when you’re making any decision to do something, if you’re 51% sure that you want to do it or 51% sure of the decision that you’re going to make - do it.

It’s based on the principle of having a bias to action and begs the question:

“Why wait if we’re already mostly sure of the decision that we’re going to make?”

How I think about this rule

For me, the 51% rule is useful because it helps me to avoid analysis paralysis. Oftentimes, when I’m making small decisions like deciding what to wear when I go out or what to make for dinner, I try my best to employ this rule so that I don’t get stuck sitting on my bed either naked or hungry. 😂 

But in a more serious and productivity driven sense, I think about this rule as being a guiding principle as to how to make business decisions and how to avoid getting caught up in overthinking. Without knowing it, it was the guiding principle behind why you’re even able to read this newsletter today.

I started #TheLifeofJLOWE without overthinking

When I started this newsletter in January of 2023, it was on a whim. I was at least 51% sure in the moment that I wanted to write a blog, and I made it happen. My bias to action took over, and I said I wanted to write it at least once a week, and here we are today with a weekly Sunday newsletter!

To be honest with you, this newsletter is proof that we learn by doing rather than by thinking.

If you’ve been here since day 1 (aka if you’re one of my best friends or my parents), you’d know that this started out as a way to document things in my life every week, and became a blog. Then, when I realized that I was sending an email every week, that was a newsletter, just without the label. It moved through various stages and forms and has evolved to the weekly newsletter that you’re reading right now.

Conclusion

So this week, I hope that you do something that you’ve been meaning to do, and don’t overthink it. Go for your first run, sign up for that yoga class, record your first YouTube video or write your first blog post. Don’t try to figure it out before you start. Just do it.

Get to being 51% sure that it’s a decision that you want to make, and just make it. You don’t need to have it all figured out before you start. Start, then figure it out as you go along. Act now, ask questions later.

At the end of the day, that’s all life is about, and really all life ever will be. Take the first step today and just keep going. Whatever it is, I promise you - it’s not as bad as it seems.

Until next Sunday,
Justin