The 3 Word Rebellion, written by Michelle A. Mazur, Ph.D. provides a unique twist on how to get your message out. The book is interactive, with space to write your responses to the directions Ms. Mazur gives as she guides you through her framework of taking on the role as leader of a movement rather than just a business owner.
If you’re writing a book that teaches or inspires as my clients do, you want it to attract your tribe: the people who value what you value and will follow your lead. Consulting, speaking, and coaching businesses lend themselves to a 3-word rebellion that incites your readers to action to get the result you’re promising.
Why 3 words? First, they are easy to remember and share with other people. Second, three is a powerful number. As humans, we look for patterns to help us explain things, even when the facts don’t necessarily support them. For example, do celebrity deaths really happen in threes? How about natural disasters?
Of course, there are many examples of the use of three in history. Christians believe in the Holy Trinity, Fairytales gave us Goldilocks and the three bears, the three little pigs, and three blind mice.
The 3 Word Rebellion describes how to change your thinking and look at yourself as the ambassador of a movement that other people will be attracted to and want to join. Your message becomes bigger than you or your business.
One example that is referred to throughout the book is Simon Sinek’s Ted Talk, Start With Why. If you haven’t watched it, I highly recommend it. In his talk, Mr. Sinek shares the Golden Circle of inside-out communication. His premise is that people don’t buy WHAT you do. They buy WHY you do it.
He reflects on Dr. Marting Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech at the Washington Monument where 250,000 people attended. Prior to the event, Dr. King talked about what he believed and that message resonated with people who believed the same thing. That’s why they showed up.
Mr. Sinek’s Ted Talk was the start of a movement. Shortly after, he published a book of the same title and You Tube videos, lucrative speaking engagements, and a consulting company soon followed.
Chapter six of the book describes two types of 3 Word Rebellions: The Battle Cry and the Naming the Change. The Battle Cry is a powerful command, such as “Start with Why”. The Naming the Change gives a name to the movement you’re trying to create, such as “Black Lives Matter”.
Here are a few other 3-Word Rebellions I noticed:
- Google: Don’t Be Evil
- Nike: Just Do It
- Adidas: Impossible is Nothing
And here are a few 3 word quotes that could be adopted as rebellions:
- Believe in Yourself
- Be Constantly Curious
- Branding is Essential
- Communicate with Clarity
- Focus and Win
- Health is Wealth
- Never Look Back
- Value Your Time
Finally, according to the book, every movement needs an inciting incident to kick it off. For authors and business owners, the incident can be as simple as a keynote speech or webinar that recruits people to your movement, an Instagram or Facebook Live story, a book, or even a blog post. At first, you might not receive a lot of interest, but as with everything, consistency is key. The more you talk about your movement, the more clarity you will gain and more people will find you.
I confess that I didn’t take the time to complete all of the assignments in the book. I’ve share my view of the world at various times in speeches and to clients but I had never tried to distill it into 3 words. The book made me think about my own 3 word rebellion. I haven’t finalized it yet, but when I do, you’ll start seeing me use it in my marketing messages.
