Three Little Words By Shelley Stockwell-Nicholas, PhD - International Hypnosis Federation President, Author, Artist and More

“Location/ Location/ Location”

“Seed/ Moisture/ Sunlight”

“Affirm/ Deny /Reconcile”

It’s the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth; three’s the charm that gets you to listen up, absorb and remember.

Hypnotists say that “three ideas help you “renew, restore and revitalize” “Mind/ Body/ Spirit.” Public speakers are coached to “say three different times in different ways” with “brevity, rhythm, and clarity!

BUSINESS THREES We love three main concepts/ Three sections/Three visuals

The Chinese say the number three is lucky and three main ideas in advertising intrigue. That is why bullet points sell best. Economics say; “You have three significant competitors so make your offers 1. Easier 2. Faster 3. And with Better results.

We listened when Steve Jobs applied the rule of three in nearly every presentation. In 2007, he launched the first iPhone by announcing Apple’s “three” revolutionary products—1. a new iPod, 2, a phone, and 3, an Internet device. He repeated each slowly –iPod, phone, and Internet– until the audience grokked that it was an all-in-one device. In fact, the iPhone was the “third” Apple’s product (the first two were the Macintosh and the iPod). TED Talkers are leaders, innovators, and experts who bring engagement, impact and retention.

DR SHELLEY’s THREE STEPS TO SUCCESS “Start where you are, use what you have. and do what you can.”

STEP ONE: Catch yourself in the act of self-talk!

STEP TWO: Ask “Does this idea benefit me… if not, change it to one that does!

STEP THREE: Affirm: “I’m keenly aware of my self-talk and easily change it to positive… I’m keenly aware of my outer talk and easily change it to positive. My self-talk and outer talk are positive. I embrace best options, take necessary action and excel!”

FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK “Satisfy/ Excite/ Amuse.

Comedians use the rule of three as 1. The set-up, 2. Anticipation and 3. The punchline (which is unexpected). Laura Kightlinger, for example, says; “Nothing’s worse than after a night of drinking, you wake up next to someone and can’t remember 1. their name, 2. How you met, or 3. Why they’re dead.”

THEATRICAL THREES

In 384 BC, Aristotle wrote, “A play must have a beginning, middle and end to develop a character… In act one a decision is made followed by action. In act two, there is a climax–a reversal– and, as the audience holds their breath, act three brings resolution, release and catharsis.” Aristotle’s “Rhetoric” said, “three things are easiest to remember.” That is why the “rule of three” is sometime called “rhetoric” along with triads, trilogies, and trinity.

Charles Dickens brought us three ghosts of Christmas past, present, and yet to come. There are Three Little Pigs, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Three Musketeers, Three Blind Mice, Three Billy Goats Gruff, Three Wise Men, Three Stooges and trilogies like; “Toy Story,” “The Lord of the Rings,” “The Godfather.” And of course, “The Hunger Games,” and “The Dark Knight.” And, of course, the music; “Blood/ Sweat/ Tears.” “Earth/ Wind/Fire,” and “Credence, Clearwater Revival.”

RIGHTEOUS TRINITY “Body/ Mind/ Spirit,” “Faith/ Hope and Charity.”

Ancients of the Shamrock proclaim, “omne trium perfectum” everything that comes in threes is perfect. Religious trinities bring “faith, hope and charity.” Tebetan Buddhists underscore “body, speech and mind.” Hindus call on “Creator, Preserver, Destroyer.” Jews “Elohim, El-Shaddai, and Adonai.” Christians “Omne Trium Perfectum” (everything that is three is perfect (like “Father, Son, Holy Ghost.” and “1. Talk to. 2, Walk with.” 3. Be as.

RULES OF CONDUCT “Stop. Look. Listen.”

Soldiers “stick together, survive and return” and remember that, “three minutes without air, three days without water, and three weeks without food can make you dead, deceased and devastated...Coach says, “Be agile, mobile and hostile.”

Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address includes; “We cannot desecrate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground” …and prays that this country “of the people, by the people, and for the people… shall not parish from this earth.” William Shakespeare’s three-words: “Friends, romans, countrymen…” and “veni, vidi, vici” (I came, I saw, I conquered) mesmerize.

At the airport, TSA employees tell you to “1. Show ID and boarding pass 2. Take off shoes and jackets and 3. Dump liquids.”

Oh, of course, my favorite three little words; “I LOVE YOU.”

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Local Personality, Shelley Stockwell-Nicholas, PhD is a hypnotherapist, mindfulness and NLP trainer, artist and the author of 25 books. She certifies practitioners through the International Hypnosis Federation. You can call her at 310 541-4844.