1. The 15-Second Principle

Page 39
is the main reason that cram courses and intense training approaches usually produce only temporary
results.
In addition, whenever beginning something new or returning to an old project, we should never try to
make up for lost time. In the long run, this is the worst thing we can do. This tactic will mentally and/or
physically come back to haunt us in the form of injuries, exhaustion, or hopelessness. Rather, we need to
trust that the human body is so talented and resilient that it has the capacity to make enormous progress
as long as we stay committed to a nurturing and consistent routine. The name of the game here is "slow
and incremental."
For those daring warriors out there who love drastic change, major challenges, declaring war, and going
cold turkey, keep remembering Newton's Third Law of Physics. You brave souls need to be alert, just in
case your survival mechanism sends the powerful and protective pendulum swinging back in the other
direction. If this occurs, it will usually carry with it massive strength, weight, and determination as it revisits
the old and more familiar habits and terrain. The more aware you are of this possibility, the better
equipped you will be to deal with it.
Each story, anecdote, and exercise in The 15-Second Principle respects the existence and power of our
homeostasis survival mechanism. A common theme that runs throughout the book is that growth need not
be a drastic and suffering experience. Instead, expansion can be nurturing, nonthreatening, and slow. The
book values mini-actions and views them as a powerful part of growth and momentum. Use the 15-Second
Principle daily, and you will discover how many more possibilities suddenly and painlessly open up to you.
You will also experience that change and growth can be more of a celebratory evolution and less of a
primal and forceful revolution.
Barney the Cat
Let's say you've decided to share your home and heart with a cat. To fulfill this desire, you go to a local pet
shelter and fall in love with a huge creature named Barney. Barney weighs in at 23 pounds and possesses a
purr that resembles thunder. After living with Barney for a while, you discover that he has a few very
interesting idiosyncrasies: