Witchy Woman

A few years ago I was driving back from a US Army base where I had given a daylong lecture on shoulder dysfunction. I was looking forward to getting home and relaxing a little over the weekend. Then my cell phone rang. It was Ellen and she was quite excited.

"I have tickets to the Eagles in Little Rock. I think we should go!" she exclaimed. I asked her when and she said, "Tomorrow! I've already checked the airlines and we can fly into Little Rock and be there in time for the show!" I hesitated for a moment and then she said, "Our seats are in the 8th row!" Off to Little Rock - what else could I say!

I can still recall the concert. It was outdoors on a warm and breezy August night. I was an Eagle that night, singing all the hits and coveting Joe Walsh's guitar. An awesome event. Ellen had made a great choice.

But I have always wondered, why are hit songs hit songs? Why have the Eagles remained so popular for so many years? And why do certain things seem to completely captivate us?

Roy Williams, in his book "Magical World's of the Wizard of Ads", proposes an answer he calls a Third Gravitating Body. Not a simple concept to grasp and one I read several times before I finally got it - or at least I think I do. In a nutshell, a Third Gravitating Body is an exceptionally small item introduced into a system (and a system could be a book, a song, a meal or even a treatment) that creates a "pattern within a pattern" thus subconsciously captivating the right side of our brain. Huh? These patterns are too complex and big for the analytical left brain. So the work is shifted to the imaginative right brain to allow us to make sense of these large, wonderful patterns. A Third Gravitating Body is found in crashing ocean waves, sparkling campfires, majestic mountains, and even in the fluffy clouds that whisp by each day. Have you ever found your self attracted to these examples? Why is that? It’s the Third Gravitating Body. A Third gravitating Body, claims Williams, is what draws us to sing "Witchy Woman" a million times. I think he is on to something that could benefit us all.

Think for a moment how monumentally boring straight leg raises are. Why? The movement is predictable. We aren’t required to focus to achieve the task. But if I add one small thing - a tiny laser strapped to the leg and a target for you to hit with the light, the boring movement suddenly becomes much more interesting. The laser acts as a Third Gravitating Body.

Of course, we have no idea if performing straight leg raises with a laser is more effective but it sure is a lot more fun. Which would you rather do? Where can you find a Third Gravitating Body in your day?

Make Today Count.

Doug Kelsey
Author. Teacher. Therapist.