1. The 15-Second Principle

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Because I loved the movie Il Postino and appreciate the poetry of Neruda, I decided to call the restaurant
to find out if there were any tickets still available. I was told that the event was by invitation only and that
you had to be a guest of Miramax. Although this news was quite bleak, I was so excited about the event
that I decided not to give up hope. I figured that perhaps I would bump into a show business friend who
might have an extra ticket.
Whenever I don't have an invitation or ticket for a function that I want to attend, I attempt to put myself
through a successful imaginary scenario before I go. The more convincing and vivid I can make the
imaginary journey, by using all of my senses, the better. On a visceral level, my body and mind should
prematurely experience the event. Psychologists tell us that the more believable our imagination can make
something, the more difficult it is for our brain to distinguish a graphic wish from a reality. So, once we
internally can make the imaginary scenario believable and successful, it becomes much easier to go out and
actually produce a real, successful result. Now back to our story.
After experiencing a successful "Mission Possible" at home, I set out for the café. When I arrived at around
7:00 p.m., I was impressed by the length of the red carpet leading to the entrance and by the number of
paparazzi waiting to pounce on the celebrities, once they left the restaurant. At the same time, I was
unimpressed by two realities. First, it was turning into a cold evening. Second, the security at the restaurant
was very tight. Refusing to succumb to the hopeless themes beginning to play inside my head, I used the
15-Second Principle to reexperience my successful Mission Possible. I then zippered my jacket and walked
to the back of the short line adjacent to the restaurant.
At some point I got the courage to ask someone what the line I was waiting in was for. It turned out to be
a line filled with angry people who were holding invitations. Apparently, the event was overinvited.
Becoming colder by the minute, I still was determined not to let the circumstances get the best of me.
After patiently waiting in line for several more minutes, miraculously I saw an old friend walk out of the
restaurant and begin to look around. Feeling quite powerless, I yelled, "Anita, help." Anita came over and
tried to assist me. As it turns out, she had contacts at Miramax.