Welcome to Influence, Psychology and Persuasion
This is session number 001 of the Influence Psychology and Persuasion podcast. In this first of the 10-minute shows, I’ll be sharing some information on attention, awareness and how it directs your life. What you focus on increases.
Have a look at the Awareness Test on YouTube for a great demonstration on “what you focus on increases”. And, what you don’t, you’ll most probably miss. You can hedge your bets to get more of what you want, by understanding and applying this principle. This is called Selective attention.
The reticular activating system is the part of your brain that looks to prove you right. This isn’t entirely correct, but, to understand this, I like to call these elements, the thinker and the prover. You, yes, that’s right you the bit that reading, watching or listening to this is the thinker. The prover is the part of you that come up with the answer to the question that the thinker asks. “What will I learn today” is a great question to force your prover to find something that suits.
Example of Selective Attention
Last night, me and my wife were in bed. Then, the heating came on. All I could hear was the rush of water going through one of the bedroom radiators. I noticed it during the day while I was ironing a shirt. The engineer in me decided I’d get that sorted later that day but didn’t.
Now I’m laying in bed it’s just gone 11 pm, and I’m listening and wondering whether to get up and get that sorted. It would only take me 5 minutes, but the thought of going into the garage in the cold and dark to get the tool bag was enough to make me persevere and lie in bed listening to it.
In the morning I got up and went for the tool bag and my wife, Paula asked me what I was doing. I said, “Didn’t you hear the radiator last night; I need to get that sorted, I hardly slept?”
“No,” She said, “all I could hear was the neighbour’s house alarm going off. I was awake most of the night praying someone would get it turned off.”
“Neighbours alarm? I didn’t hear that, when did it start?”
It turns out she first heard it just after 12 am and it was continually ringing until gone 4 am. She told me even the neighbours were outside investigating it.
Me, on the other hand. Didn’t hear a thing. Well, except for the radiator. From 11 pm until 3 pm, it felt like I had no sleep at all. Talk about selective attention!
What we notice becomes real for us. And thankfully, what we experience is within our control. It all depends on what we focus on.
This same deletion process applies to people who live on noisy streets or in flight paths. They merely delete those sounds after a while. Or, they don’t, and end then up moving.
Not only are we great at deletion. We’re also great at switching focus and making real that on which we focus.
So what is it you are going to decide to focus on? Is it, which foot feels the warmest right now, is it the temperature of your back, or perhaps it’s that little itch on your face? Whatever it is, that is what becomes real. This is what’s called “selective attention.”
You need to know about this as opportunities pass you every day. If you’re not primed to look for, and expect them or worse still, only believe misfortune and issues come your way, then that is what you will notice, and that will become your reality.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS