It’s an extremely short moment of time that passes by in almost a blink of an eye.
But sometimes, 5 seconds is actually all that’s needed to create life changing moments.
We talked to 5 different millennials who each found how just 5 seconds became treasured memories that significantly it impacted their growth as a person.
These are their stories.
1) “I was planning on leaving to study overseas until I almost lost her.”
I’ve always dreamed of becoming an astrologist since I was young. But not many local institutes offer astronomy so I knew I’d need to go overseas for my studies.
I had to put my plans on hold when my mom was diagnosed with cancer, but she kept telling me to pursue my dreams. She was the one who pushed me to accept an offer to study in Switzerland.
Departure date came. I was sitting in the plane waiting to take off when my mom sent me a touching message. In the next 5 seconds, I found myself getting off that plane and deciding to study locally instead so that I can be close with my mom. There’re no regrets because I’m sure I made the right decision.
Especially now that I’m a member of the Malaysian Astrological Society.
– Raj, 28
2) “I was having a bad birthday until I helped save a house from burning down.”
My 8th birthday was not great. My house had a blackout and my parents were overseas so my mood was down.
I went outside to cheer myself a bit when I saw smoke coming out from a window at the neighbour’s house. I went closer and realised something in the kitchen was burning.
I ran into the house and helped the children in the house evacuate before I went back to my house and asked my grandmother to call the fire brigade.
Luckily within an hour, the fire was settled and the damage was contained. I wouldn’t say what I did was completely heroic, I’m just glad my instinct helped make people aware of what was going on.
It was a risky 5-second decision but I’d say having a clear conscience is worth it.
– Lily, 25
3) “I never felt like I was doing good for society until I was in that hospital room.”
I think I’m a decent person but I’ve never gone out of my way to give back to society. Until one day when I was scrolling through Facebook and saw a friend asking for help. His neighbour had gotten into a horrible accident and was in dire need of O- blood.
I didn’t even give it much thought and quickly responded to my friend, telling him I’m on my way to the hospital. That was the first time I had donated blood and now, I have done it at least twice a year.
After that, I got more involved with voluntary work because the feeling of being appreciated for doing something selfless is quite rewarding. It was a 5-second decision I don’t regret.
– Brian, 27
4) “I was about to head home when I almost lost my life.”
My career requires most of us to work late. I usually only leave my office at midnight but nothing really happens to me despite how late it is.
But one night when I walked through the parking lot, I saw two men arguing. They didn’t notice me there, so I could’ve walked away.
Suddenly, a fight started so I instinctively went to break it up. I yelled at the attacker to stop and saw he had a knife in hand. He tried to attack me with it but I managed to defend myself and pinned him to the ground, kicking the knife away.
The victim quickly called the police and the attacker was arrested. I was pretty shaken up after the incident knowing I could’ve lost my life but I’m glad that in the 5 seconds it took for me to decide what to do, I saved a life.
– Azwan, 26
5) “I was about to leave my job until I got in that elevator.”
I wasn’t very happy in my company. No one cared about my opinion and the superiors didn’t bother much with me so I decided to quit.
As I was going to hand in my resignation letter, two employees entered the elevator with me, having a distraught conversation.
I wanted to say something about their discussion but as I watched the numbers of the floors go up, I wondered if it’s worth speaking up for.
I did in the end and they were very thankful for my opinion. I felt quite good after their gratitude, so I decided not to resign just yet. Luckily I didn’t, because the next day I got offered a better position.
My boss heard what happened in the elevator and after discussing, they think I’d do a better job in a different department instead. I was pretty happy that I took that 5 seconds in the elevator to speak up for myself more.
– Teh Lin, 23
So 5 Seconds Can Be More Than Enough
Guess we can say that you don’t always need a long time to make an impact. Life-changing moments can happen in a split second, and how we react can change things forever.
So why not try capturing a meaningful moment and you could stand a chance to win prizes worth up to RM24,000!
The Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) is currently organising a campaign called RealityCheck where they’re asking you to express how you see health and wellness and record it into a 5-second video.
All you’ll have to do to join this contest is:
- Follow the official account on Instagram here.
- Like the official Facebook page here.
- Figure out what health and wellness means to you and film a video around it.
- Upload your 5-second video on your Instagram account and make sure it is set on public.
- Include the hashtags #medtourismmy #check3 and #realitycheckmy
That’s it, you’re entered! It’s as easy as that.
Yes, 5 seconds may seem too short, but if these people only needed 5 seconds to really impact their lives, why can’t it also reward your creativity with a GoPro 4?
For more information, you can check out their website here.
This article is written in collaboration with MHTC.
Feature Image Credit: asianjournal.com