1. The 15-Second Principle

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they need, they are never threatened by loss, rushing to grab more, or racing to get somewhere. Instead,
they come from security and abundance as they share and receive love. Anytime you are confused about
who you are being, stop and ask yourself, "Would an angel think, feel, or behave like this?" If the answer is
no, assume Pat is once again at the helm.
Although it might be tempting, your objective is never to kill Pat off. If you do, you would have an
enormous amount of dead weight to carry around for the rest of your life. (Recall the inclusion factor from
page 42.) Instead, your goal is to keep distinguishing Pat from yourself. This is where the 15-Second
Principle comes in handy. It only takes a few seconds to ask yourself, "Who's driving my car?" and "Am I
behaving like a babbling and petty Pat, or my angel self?"
Remember: Anytime there is loud, opinionated, and critical dialoguing in your mind, assume the chatter and
discourse are coming from Pat. By separating Pat from yourself, you will be much freer to redirect your
attention and choose a more nurturing and mini-action mode of thinking, acting, and producing. This, in
turn, will enable you to tap into your personal manifest destiny that is just waiting to be uncovered.
Bozo the Chimp
Once upon a time there was a very talented chimp named Bozo, who was a retired circus performer. He
lived on a deserted farm with his trainer, Joey. Bozo's greatest joy was riding a miniature motorcycle that
Joey had built for him. Each morning the chimp would wake up early, dress himself, eat a banana, and
juggle golf balls until Joey came downstairs. After breakfast, they'd go outside, where there were thousands
of acres of beautiful land.
Joey would start up Bozo's motorcycle and allow him to ride it around a circular dirt track next to the
farmhouse. Bozo would ride around the track for hours at a time and would only stop when he ran out of
gas. Each day, the chimp would log on hundreds of miles as he raced around this 1/16-mile track.
Neighbors loved looking out their windows to see Bozo enjoying himself by racing around and around.