The 15 Second Principle is full of practical and powerful wisdom. With powerful illustrations that drive home his points, Al Secunda entertains as he performs. I couldn't put this fabulous book down. I highly recommend it.
-- Jack Canfield, Co-author, Chicken Soup For the Soul

Your dreams are just seconds away! Stop letting them pass you by. If you've ever thought about doing something challenging in your life, but just didn't know how to get started, or how to follow through, it's time you read The 15 SECOND PRINCIPLE: Short, Simple Steps To Achieving Long Term Goals (Berkley, May 1999). Secunda offers a simple, inspirational, and powerful process to help us actualize our dreams.

The 15 Second Principle is based on the premise that "either we don't really care about our dreams, or we are scared to death of them." To help us find the answer, Secunda created The 15 Second Dream Agreement. By committing to spend a minimum of 15 seconds a day on a dream project, we immediately get to see how passionate and/or scared we are about it. As we take these mini- forays into our dreams, they will automatically become more of a reality and less of a fantasy. Because the first 15 seconds of doing anything is usually the hardest, invariably we will wind up devoting many more minutes to our dream project.

By signing The 15 Second Dream Agreement, we also promise to forgive ourselves whenever we don't live up to this seemingly easy 15 second contract. This "permission clause" creates a nurturing and forgiving environment within which to operate. Whether we are looking to change careers, complete a degree, write a novel, return to school, or learn a new hobby, by signing The 15 Second Dream Agreement we will slowly but surely take focused actions and gain momentum in a safe and supportive environment.

"By helping people examine the beliefs and thoughts that limit them The 15 Second Principle can bring it?s readers more productive, passionate, and creative lives. These personal stories are universal and timeless."
-- Deepak Chopra, M.D.

Al Secunda's experience as a consultant, motivational speaker, workshop leader, and tennis coach, has put him in contact with some of the world's most fascinating people. In The 15 Second Principle Al generously shares the masterful lessons and inspirational tales he directly or indirectly learned from: Diana Ross, James Coburn, Joe Montana, Berry Gordy, Alexander Godunov, and even Elvis.

Need someone to blame for not achieving your dreams? Secunda suggests that we blame Pat. Who is Pat you ask? Pat is our selfish Siamese twin who continually steers us away from the things we care about the most. If you are not getting to where you'd like to be in life, it's because you are letting Pat's desires and opinions (which are always the direct opposite of yours), run the show. Pat's mission is to have you experience a multitude of painful disappointments, negative emotions, and limiting beliefs, so that you will decide to give up all of your hopes and aspirations. To counter-balance your sibling's intentions, your mission is to apply The 15 Second Principle and disappoint Pat at every opportunity.

Instead of being intimidated by major obligations, long term goals, or secret wishes, Secunda's approach gives us the freedom to take these brief and emotionally palatable actions 15 seconds at a time. The potent nature of mini-actions is that, when done often enough, they will produce momentum, freedom, and self-confidence. This, in turn, will produce mini-breakthroughs in a variety of areas. If the strength of a process is in its simplicity, then The 15 Second Principle is destined to help many people for many years to come.