The 3 Magical Words

You know how in B-schools they keep throwing frameworks at you like it’s confetti? One of those days, in a marketing class, while we were going over the classic 4Ps (Product, Price, Place, Promotion), my mind just wandered. As I scribbled the 4Ps in my notebook, half bored, half hungry, this random, totally out-of-syllabus thought popped in:

“What if I had 3 Ps for my life?”
Purpose. Passion. Peace.

My first instinct? “Wow, Gowri, you’re onto something.”
Second instinct? “Okay, let’s not get carried away. You can’t just shrink your whole life into 3 words.”

But here’s the thing, I didn’t get carried away. The thought got me. It stuck. Like gum on a shoe. And the more I walked through life, the more I realised… hey, this actually works.

The Accidental Filter I Didn’t Know I Needed

I wasn’t actively testing it, okay? I never sat down and declared: “From now on, I shall evaluate every single thing in my life with this holy trinity.” Nope. I didn’t suddenly become a self-help guru sitting with checklist of 3 Ps. But somewhere in the background, it became this quiet, subconscious filter. Whenever something or anything came into my life: a person, a project, an invite, an opportunity, even a random Sunday plan, this quiet voice started asking:

“Does this bring me peace?”
“Am I passionate about this?”
“Is there a purpose behind this?”

And just like that, I wasn’t living life on auto-pilot anymore. I was pausing before doing things. It just became this gentle, background filter.

A small whisper before I said yes.
A gut check before I jumped in.
A reason to pause before I pushed through.

And in a way that still feels kind of magical, it brought clarity. I wasn’t just reacting, I was responding. Mindfully.

Let’s Talk Purpose

Purpose is your “why.” The reason behind the doing. Purpose doesn’t always have to be some epic, world-changing, superhero-level thing. Sometimes, it’s just paying the bills. Or surviving the week. Or making your parents proud, or showing up for someone who needs you. It can be as big as “I want to build a school” or as simple as “I need to pay rent.” 

For instance, that job that you’re maybe not super thrilled about but still show up to every day? Yeah, that’s purpose. Because your goal there is to earn, to be independent, to build something. Don’t dismiss it just because it doesn’t make you cry tears of joy.

Purpose gives you direction. Even if the road is rocky, at least you know why you’re walking it. And here’s the truth: your purpose can (and probably will) change. What fuels you today might not do it five years later. That’s not flaky. That’s growth.

The Passion

Now passion, that’s the spicy one. It’s what makes you lose track of time. What lights you up from within. That one thing you could talk about for hours and still want more. The stuff you’d do even if no one paid you, no one praised you. It’s messy. Exciting. Magnetic.

But let’s be real, your passion won’t always pay your rent. And that’s okay too. What matters is that you know what sets your soul on fire. That you give it space, even if it’s not your full-time thing. Maybe you write, dance, design, code, garden, solve puzzles, or bake cupcakes at 2 AM. You lose track of time when you’re in it.  When you do it, your soul feels… more you.

And Peace. Oh, Sweet Peace.

I’ve reached a point where I refuse to glorify chaos. Peace isn’t boring.
Peace is when your body doesn’t flinch at messages. When Sundays don’t feel like pre-monday anxiety trailers. When people in your life feel like home, not like warzones. It’s the calm in your chest. The ease in your body.

If your relationships don’t bring you peace, pause. Look. Ask yourself why not? Is it time for some boundaries? Some brutally honest conversations? Maybe even some goodbyes?

Because peace isn’t just something nice to have. It’s essential. And it’s not always found in solitude. Sometimes, peace is a person. A place. A song. Or just being in the right alignment with yourself.

The 3Ps Lens

Let me show you how this plays out in everyday life.

When Something Ticks Only One P

Example: A 9-to-5 Job That Pays Well

Let’s say you’ve got a stable job. It doesn’t excite you, and the office politics slowly chip away at your sanity but the money is good. That’s purpose. It fulfills a practical need.

And there’s nothing wrong with that. Life isn’t always fireworks. Sometimes, it’s just showing up. But being aware that this is purpose (and not peace or passion) helps you not expect joy or ease from it. That awareness is huge.

When Two Ps Align

Example: Volunteering That Gives You Peace and Purpose

Maybe you volunteer on weekends. You’re not obsessed with it the way you are with painting or writing, but it gives you a deep sense of fulfillment. It aligns with your values and brings calm. That’s peace + purpose.

Example: A Passion Project That Feels Like Therapy

You love writing poetry. No one reads it (yet), but you feel like you can breathe again when you do it. That’s passion + peace. These combinations are beautiful in their own ways. They sustain you. They refill your cup. They whisper, you’re doing okay.

Now Here’s the Plot Twist

The ideal state? When all three Ps show up together. Imagine doing something that gives you purpose, sets your passion on fire, and wraps you in peace. Sounds dreamy, right?

But here’s the thing, don’t make that the goal.

If it happens, amazing. But if it doesn’t? That’s not a failure. That’s life. Life is messy and layered. And some days, you might be just living in your purpose, grinding through a task that isn’t fun, but necessary. Other days, you might be drowning in your passion project, broke but glowing. That’s okay. The 3Ps aren’t a checklist. They’re a compass.

The Beauty of Awareness (And the Power of the Pause)

What this 3P framework gave me, without me even realizing, was a pause. That one breath between impulse and action. It gave me the ability to ask:

Why am I doing this?
What is this bringing into my life?
Is this a full-body yes or just a tired okay?

Suddenly, I wasn’t saying yes to every invite just because I didn’t want to upset someone. I wasn’t forcing myself to do things that drained me. I wasn’t pushing through burnout and calling it discipline. I was living slower. Softer. More aligned.

On Saying No (or the Art of Not People-Pleasing)

Let’s be honest saying no is hard. Especially when you’re a recovering people-pleaser (hi, same). But why is it so hard to say no? Maybe because saying no isn’t always about courage. Sometimes, it’s about clarity. Half the time, we don’t even know what we want. It’s not always a loud yes or a firm no. Most of life exists in this grey zone. And in that zone, the 3Ps help. Feeling confused about something? Run it through this lens:

Is this giving me peace?
Am I passionate about it?
Does it serve a purpose?

Because when something doesn’t bring purpose, passion, or peace, what is it even doing in your life?

If it’s ticking none of the boxes it’s probably noise. Static. Background clutter. And noise, my friend, can be silenced. Kindly, respectfully, delete it.

If you can’t cut it out right away (we all have rent to pay and relatives to deal with), at least name it. Create a distance. Build a boundary. That’s your way of reclaiming your space.

You Don’t Need All Three, But the Awareness

Let’s not turn this into a toxic checklist. You’re allowed to just survive sometimes. To stay in that job because you need to. To love painting but not pursue it professionally. To crave peace even if it means saying goodbye to someone you once called home. The goal isn’t perfection or achieving all 3Ps in your life.  Its simply about the clarity. And on days when you don’t have that either it’s okay to just ask the questions. That’s enough. That’s brave. When life feels chaotic, confusing, or just too loud try whispering the 3Ps to yourself.

Does this serve any purpose for me?
Am I passionate about this?
Does this bring me peace?

And if something doesn’t align with any of them? Maybe it’s not meant to stay. This isn’t a strategy. It’s not branding. It’s a reminder. That your time, energy, and heart deserve to be spent on things that actually matter to you. And maybe, just maybe, in some quiet corner of your day, the 3Ps will click into place. Not forever. But long enough to make you feel “this is it. I’m home.”

TL;DR (But Like, Emotionally)

The 3Ps isn’t some magic formula. It won’t make life easy. But it will make it clearer. It’ll give you a language to talk to yourself with. A gentle way to check in. To ask:

Why am I doing this?
How does it make me feel?
What is this serving?

And when something doesn’t serve any of these? That’s your cue.

I’m not saying I’ve mastered this framework. Heck, some days I forget all about it. But the days I remember? Life feels a little less chaotic. A little more mine. So maybe give it a try. Ask the 3 Ps. And see what stays. Because you deserve a life that’s purposeful, passionate, and peaceful, even if not all at once, even if just in moments. And honestly? Those moments are more than enough:)

Till the next yap,
With love,
Gowri