What the Heck Is the Magic of Three?

What’s With the Number 3?

This story will be brief, it will only take 3 minutes. I just want to share that I became curious about 3 today when my son asked me why my favorite number is 4 and not 3.

One, two, three, go! Random things that come to my mind when I think about 3.

Stop, look, and listen

A story will have an introduction, body, and conclusion

A sports event awards the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd

It takes a man and a woman to have a child = 3

To have a beautiful face, you have to cleanse, tone, and moisturize

The earth is the 3rd planet from the sun

Most national flags are divided into 3 parts. The Philippine flag is divided into 3, with 3 stars, and 3 main colors

Christianity has the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

Hinduism has Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva

Three Little Pigs, the Three Blind Mice, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, the Three Musketeers, the Three Wise Men

Small, medium, large

Past, present, future

Positive, comparative, superlative

Mind, body, and soul

Good, better, best

Three strikes and you are out in baseball

“I came, I saw, I conquered”— Julius Caesar

"Government of the people, by the people, for the people" -- Abraham Lincoln

"Friends, Romans, Countrymen" from William Shakepeare's Julius Caesar

"The right to life, liberty, and property"-- John Locke

Now, Let’s Go to Some Rules of 3

1.) Rule of 3 in Productivity

The rule of three in productivity is introduced by J.D. Meier in his book Getting Results the Agile Way.

Meier said that to be productive we have to focus on outcomes instead of activities. He used the magic of 3 by telling us that we have to be intentional in setting our goals. We have to set our 3 wins for the day, 3 wins for the week, 3 wins for the month, and 3 wins for the year.

Don’t be lost on complex goals and simply focus on the simplicity of 3.

2.) Rule of 3 in Writing

The rule of three in writing states that 3 is the least number that the brain can recognize as a pattern. A pattern of 3 makes writing memorable. Writing can simply be organized in a 3-part structure — set things up, build anticipation, and finish with the punchline, resolution, or plot twist.

Tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them, then tell them what you told them — Aristotle

3.) Rule of 3 To Relax During Anxiety Attack

To calm your mind and bring it back to the present moment during a period of extreme nervousness, look around and name 3 things you see, 3 things you hear, and move 3 parts of your body.

Takeaways

One may be boring and lonely. Two can bring disagreement. Bring in three to break the tie.

Let's experiment on the power and simplicity of 3 in our writings and in our life. I started writing 3 things that I am grateful for everyday. When I read something, I make sure I take note of 3 things that I learned. When I teach or lecture, I group the topics into 3's.

OK 3. But why not 4? My personal take: when it's 4, it starts to become many.

The role of 3 in me: Yes, its role not a rule :) My day of birth is 3, in a month and year divisible by 3. I got married and gave birth at 23. I took the exam to become a lawyer at 33. Will you then recommend that I change my favorite number to 3?

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This story was originally published by the author on Medium.com.