Using the 3-second Rule to Create More Disciplined Action.

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Brian Kight

Two kinds of people exist in the world: those who live by the 3-second rule with food and those who don’t. For the uninitiated, the 3-second rules states that when a piece of food falls on the ground and you pick it up within three seconds, it’s still ok to eat.

Watch someone drop a slice of watermelon at a BBQ and immediately invoke the 3-second rule, hustling to get it off the ground before three seconds pass. People nearby say, “Ooh, 3-second rule. Good save.” Of course someone else, probably your mother-in-law, says, “Gross.”

Use the 3-second rule to move from avoiding to acting, from delaying to doing. Apply it to every difficult, but necessary, thing you need to do. Count to three and do it right now. Apply it to the beginning of every long, uncertain path. Count to three and start right now. Apply it to every strained relationship that’s in need of repair. Count to three and talk right now. The longer you wait, the more your mind works against you. Count to three and go.

Your mother-in-law will probably have an opinion on that too, of course. Happy Memorial Day to you and your family. Hold that watermelon tight.

Do the work.

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