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O.K., you’ve probably heard of Murphy’s Law and The Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon by now, but have you ever heard of Three is the Magic Number (not the School House Rock version)? If not, that’s alright because it is my own theory. And after years of observation and study, I’m finally ready to release my E=MC2 to the public.
Three is the Magic Number works like this: It takes hearing a name in three positive contexts for it to stick in your consciousness. Sounds simple, right? Well that’s because it is. For example, I’ll use the term Shangri-La, which originated from James Hilton’s novel Lost Horizon, to prove this revolutionary theory. Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines Shangri-La as a remote beautiful imaginary place where life approaches perfection.
Like Franklin D. Roosevelt (and so many others), Shangri-La is a fictional town that first came into my consciousness from Lost Horizon. In the story, Shangri-La is the place where the main character, Hugh Conway–a veteran member of the British diplomatic service–finds inner peace, love and a sense of purpose.
Fast forward a few years to my college days in San Francisco when I became obsessed with buying used records. For the price of two iTunes songs, I could buys a full length album from the Rolling Stones, Grateful Dead and so many others. One of my favorites that I found during that time period was Eric Clapton’s No Reason to Cry album, which was recorded at the Band’s (the musical group) Shangri-La Studio in Malibu, California.
I love iconic photos of musicians (Annie Leibovitz if you’re reading this, thank you), which is why I first gravitated to the No Reason to Cry album. On the cover, a young, bearded Eric Clapton is sitting at the studio’s bar dressed to the nines. And in true, 70s style, “Shangri-La” is etched into the bar mirror, making it the second time Shangri-La entered my consciousness.
My most recent encounter with Shangri-La occurred just a few days ago, when I came across this video from Shangri-La Hotels.
Like the Clapton album cover, I was first drawn to the style and concept of the luxury hotelier’s video. For me, good customer service is key, and I really enjoyed the way the Shangri-La brand conveyed its belief: “that there’s no greater act of hospitality than embracing a stranger as one’s own.” Plus, who doesn’t like wolves. 🙂 However, it wasn’t until I watched the video a couple of times that I made my third positive connection with Shangri-La, causing it to be officially entered into my lexicon.
As a bonus, if you’d like to enter more than just Shangri-La into your conscious, you can also download Shangri-La’s iPhone app and share your travel stories to win one of 20 luxurious vacations. The deadline for the contest is October 15.
Well folks that’s my theory of Three is the Magic Number. What do you think?
*This post was sponsored by Shangri-La; however, my thoughts, opinions and theories are entirely my own.
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*Please remember all photos on this website, unless otherwise noted, are copyrighted and property of Beers and Beans Travel Website & Bethany Salvon. Please do not use them without my permission. If you do want to use one of them please contact me first. Thanks!
