This long title “every man has about 40 seconds to make up his mind and do the right thing” is all about a thing I’ve learned many years ago.

I dunno if you could call it wisdom, in fact it is one of the anecdotal piece of my life that’s not seriously based on some fact, but more on the intuition of a man.
A man I’ve met in a gym.

I remember he was running and I was lifting weights (not so much weight, btw).
He was talking with a friend about cheating, yes, a man cheating on his girlfriend or wife.

Now as you may know, nothing in this world happens randomly.
We all follow a script, our script.
We are in control every single moment and although I’d really like to justify my errors through the sentence “I wasn’t aware”, I must admit that no… you are never out of control.

Back to the story…
This man was talking about a fascinating idea, the idea that every man in the world, once put in the right condition, could cheat or not cheat based on his resistance in 40 seconds.

This means that the moment you might be found off bat lasts around 40 seconds.
The uncertainty, the “well, maybe I should accept another drink”, the “isn’t she perfect?”, etc.. they all lasts about 40 seconds.
Once those seconds are passed, you’re safe.

I’m not the type to believe in phrases like this so easily but I must admit that this definition grew on me.
I started thinking a lot about how the decision making process works in moments like cheating (or not), and my conclusion is that, yes, there might be something like these 40 seconds, but before that there’s another thing.

Yes, because those 40 seconds wouldn’t have happened if…
If you didn’t let them.

You got the chance to cheat because you allowed the chance to be created.
Remember what I told you? We are always in control.
I still believe that.

Found a nice girl in a bar and she walks out to you and offers you a drink?
It’s your choice to accept, refuse, or just walk away.
You, only you are in control.

Maybe the 40 seconds do exists, but there’s a whole story that we might not talk about, the story of those mens that were in charge all the time.
The story of who didn’t allow the cheat to even configure in their life.

To me those stories, although untold, are all about the best part of us.
The part that sticks with the plan, the lives to our expectations, that honors the people around us.