The Power Of Three

Jo-Anna’s Fables

“If I say something now, I know it’ll just make things worse, thought Jo-Anna. I have to find a way to calm down before this becomes truly an impossible situation!”

As Jo-Anna searched for ways to make sure she didn’t fly off the handle, knowing her quicksilver temper, she spent a bit of time walking & breathing as deeply as she could. She finally decided on something simple she knew she could manage immediately.

“What if I give it some sort of formula for the “power of three”, thought Jo-Anna. That’s something I can discipline myself to work with. I can start with waiting 3 hours or days, & work my way up to longer periods, like 3 months! That way, by the time I reach whatever “three” milestone I have chosen, I will probably have gotten over, resolved, or let go of the problem! And, if the problem persists, I will still be calm enough to find other, more civilized ways to respond. This can work for me when I’m angry, sad, frustrated, curious…anytime I think I might be jumping into the fire too quickly”!

Jo-Anna tested her new formula with an extremely rude neighbor, whose children were terrorizing the community bouncing skateboards, soccer balls & anything else they could off cars, mailboxes, landscaping & siding. Instead of screaming at them, she waited 3 long days before she took any action. It was really difficult not to respond in kind, to be rude & abrasive. But Jo-Anna knew that it would just aggravate & escalate an already obnoxious situation, however justified!

“Well, Jo-Anna thought, the problem has not resolved itself & the neighbors are not going to change. At least now, I am relaxed enough to address this more calmly, & take the time to look for other solutions that might work.”

Using this new formula, Jo-Anna found she could tailor in time & responses more effectively. She was more organized & presentable in her outreach, & gained the backing of the community association, the town code enforcement bureau, the police, & the respectable neighbors who also wanted to enjoy the calm & peace of our community. And in the ensuing months, Jo-Anna learned that she could call up & apply the power of three to almost anything that came at her with too much momentum, with more successful results.

Jo-Anna’s friend of many years laughs & says when they met, it took Jo-Anna 3 years to get out of a bad fix. As time went by, she got faster using some variable of the power of three whenever she needed to navigate something tough. Jo-Anna hopes by the time she’s an old lady, it’ll only take 3 seconds to get on with it!

~The Moral Of The Story~

Always give yourself a moment to exhale before you tackle something problematic. Whether it’s great sadness, loss, heated anger, mad new love, appropriate follow-up, a new plan of action, or lifestyle change, the power of three can truly help delineate the essence of what’s important to move on, with minimal backlash, & the time to find & implement better results.

Best, Concierge Jo-Anna

P.S. I’d love to help in any way I can. Just sign up for tips, or let’s video chat. You can also email me.