How Your Mind Selects What to Notice (And What to Ignore)

1. The Illusion of Seeing Everything

We like to believe that what we see is reality. However, the truth is much more complex—we don’t see everything; we see only what our mind allows us to see.

For example:

• Have you ever bought a new car and suddenly started seeing that exact model everywhere?
• Have you ever learned a new word, and then it seemed to pop up in every conversation?
• Have you ever felt like the world was against you when you were having a bad day?

These experiences happen because your brain filters reality based on what it considers important.

Every second, your senses receive millions of bits of information—colors, sounds, movements, faces, emotions. But your brain can only process a tiny fraction of that. To make sense of the world, it selects what seems most relevant to you and ignores the rest.

In short, the world you see is not objective reality—it’s a personalized version of it, shaped by your past experiences, emotions, and goals.

2. The Brain’s Secret: Selective Perception & The Reticular Activating System (RAS)

Your Reticular Activating System (RAS) is a powerful mechanism in your brain that acts as a filter for information. It decides:
✅ What enters your conscious awareness
❌ What gets ignored

🔹 How the RAS Works in Everyday Life

Imagine you’re in a crowded cafe with people talking, music playing, and dishes clattering. Despite the noise, you suddenly hear your own name from across the room.

This happens because your RAS prioritizes information related to you while filtering out unnecessary noise.

Similarly:

• If you believe people are kind, your brain will highlight acts of kindness.
• If you believe the world is unfair, you will mostly notice injustice.
• If you believe you are unlucky, you will focus on failures while ignoring small successes.

Your perception of the world is shaped by the “filters” your brain has installed over the years.

3. What You Don’t See: The Hidden Side of Reality

Since our brain filters out most of the world, there is always something we are missing.

For example:
🔹 Opportunities – If you believe “I’m not lucky,” your brain may overlook golden chances right in front of you.
🔹 Positive People – If you expect negativity, your RAS will make sure you only notice rude or unfriendly behavior.
🔹 Different Perspectives – If you only consume information that supports your current beliefs, you’ll struggle to see alternative viewpoints.

🔹 The Invisible Gorilla Experiment

In a famous psychological study, participants watched a video of people passing a basketball and were asked to count the number of passes. Halfway through the video, a person in a gorilla suit walked through the scene.

Amazingly, 50% of people did not notice the gorilla at all.

Why? Because their focus was set on counting the passes, and their brain filtered out anything unrelated—even something as obvious as a gorilla!

This proves that we don’t see reality as it is—we see it as we expect it to be.

4. How to Change What You See (And Transform Your Life)

The good news? You can train your brain to see more of what actually benefits you.

🔹 Step 1: Identify Your Filters

Ask yourself:

• What assumptions do I have about life? (e.g., “Life is hard,” “Money is difficult to earn.”)
• What kind of people do I expect to meet? (e.g., “People are selfish,” “Everyone is helpful.”)
• What do I always notice first in a situation?

🔹 Step 2: Reprogram Your Focus

Since the brain follows patterns, you can train your RAS to highlight new things.

• Gratitude practice: If you start writing down things you’re grateful for daily, your brain will begin noticing more good things around you.
• Expanding your comfort zone: If you only follow the same sources of information, try exposing yourself to opposing viewpoints or learning from different cultures.
• Setting intentional goals: If you set a clear goal (e.g., “I want to find opportunities to grow”), your brain will start noticing them everywhere.

🔹 Example: A person who believes “there are no good jobs” will only see bad ones. But someone who programs their RAS with “I will find creative ways to earn money” will suddenly start noticing new income opportunities they never saw before.

5. Conclusion: You See What You Believe

The reality you experience is not an absolute truth—it’s a reflection of what your mind focuses on.

• If you focus on problems, the world will seem full of problems.
• If you focus on opportunities, opportunities will become visible.
• If you focus on limitations, life will feel small and restricted.

🚀 Action Step: Take 5 minutes today to write down 3 things you want to see more of in your life. Train your brain to start noticing them, and watch how your reality shifts.

You are the programmer of your mind—what kind of reality do you want to create?