The Number Three

“Today’s column is brought to you by the number Three!”

-Spoken by Big Bird on “Sesame Street”
Children’s Television Workshop

It’s odd.  And yet, it’s evenly balanced — on three legs.  It’s symmetrical, and strangely comforting.  It’s ubiquitous and omnipresent.  It’s — Three.

We’ve been accused of being dogmatic about requiring presentations, meetings and discussions to always break into three parts.  We plead, “Not guilty!” Your Honor… But with this proviso: Do segment your “Idea Soup” into portions!  Two, Three or Four will do nicely!

Why?  Well, we could call it a rule, but why not recognize that human events have given us the Golden Section, Greek Architecture and the Porsche 911 — some things just work.  So don’t ask why; just go with it!  Three Rocks!  (But two and four also have a claim on our imagination.)

Herewith, a few examples of the downright insidious way that threes have wormed their way into the affections of the world:

• Bears?  Wishes?  Little Pigs?  Blind Mice?
• Times a Lady?
• Stooges?  Musketeers?
• Wise men?  Biblical Denials?
• Parts to Aristotle’s Perfect World?  (The Good, Beautiful, the True)
• Parts to Classical Argument?  (Thesis / Antithesis / Synthesis)
• Greek Philosophers?  (Socrates, Plato, Aristotle)
• Parts to Speeches, Plays, Stories, Life?  (Beginning, Middle, End)
• Deities in the Christian Godhead?  (Father, Son, Holy Spirit)
• Chords in the Twelve Bar Blues?
• Coins in a Fountain?  To get ready?
• Corners on a triangle?  Components in a classic pizza?
• Fingers on Mickey, Minnie, Donald & Daisy?
• Kinds of Triangles?  Scalene, Equilateral, Obtuse
• Witches?  [“Charmed?”  “Macbeth?”]
• Fates?  Graces?  Muses?
• Primary Colors?  (Red, Blue, Yellow)
• Colors in the American Flag?
• Cups of Tea?
• Strikes?  Three Strikes to a batter – an “Out:”  4 Balls – a “Walk.”
• A Home Run with three on base is called a “Grand Slam.”
• Three consecutive strikes in bowling are called a “Turkey.”
• In golf, a three under par is an “Albatross.”
• In law, three felonies get you “25 to Life.”
• On a date, Three is a “Crowd.”
• In positive attempts at anything, “Three’s a Charm.”
• Phone numbers and social security numbers are easy to remember because they come in three parts.  Not so with 4-part credit card numbers…
• Consider also:  “Triathlon, Trifecta, Tricycle, Trianon, Triage, Thrice, Trident, Triptych, Trillium.”

Applications:

1.  Personally
When our minds are a jumbled mass of detail, it’s hard to make sense of it all.  Pause for a second, breathe and begin to break things down and sort them out into groups.  You’ll find the pressure decreases as you “get things sorted.”  (With apologies to our British Brethren and friends at Hogwarts…)

2.  At Home
Is it just us?  Or has the pace, volume and pressure of day to day life amped up so much that it’s becoming harder to breathe, function and connect with others?  Especially at home, we benefit with keeping things simple, direct and compassionate.  Take the pressure off family members by taking an extra moment before unloading — section off your communication into chunks so people are 1. Forced to take notice and 2. Relieved to know the limits of the discussion or diatribe…

3.  At Work
Hey.  There’s just too much detail these days!  Who among us can count to a trillion?  But we can count to three — and that allows me not to worry about being able to wait a while for a bathroom break.  Take pity on your colleagues and make it simple and easy to recall and repeat.  Stick to three.

The fact there are three key sections in a classic “Ready, Set, Go!” box diagram is purely coincidental…Your life, career and family can be made more memorable and have-able, if you resort to the Number Three!

For Dessert: See www.threes.com

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