Speaking notes:
There was a psychological study done where people were asked to watch a video and tell how many times basketballs were passed by a group of people.
About half of the people watching were so focused on counting the passes that they did not see a “gorilla” walk through the middle and beat his chest.
You can see an example of the video HERE
Take a couple of minutes to watch it and see for yourself how this works in your own brain.
You and I are wired to filter out a good deal of “reality.”
Your brain takes in 2.3M bits of information each second.
It filters out 99.994%: Deletes, Distorts, Generalizes
The 0.006% that you are aware of you process at 126 bits per second.
When you focus your attention, your brain deletes what you don’t expect to see.
This is how magicians create their shows.
But I’m not here to talk about what you don’t see.
Your “reality filter” can be a powerful tool for your mindset if you know how to use it.
A story I heard:
There was a man who had identical twin sons.
One was pessimistic. The other completely opposite.
Dad decided to give them birthday presents to adjust their perspective.
Pessimist – latest state of the art bicycle.
Optimist – pile of manure.
Pessimist: “I’ll probably crash and break my leg.”
Optimist: Jumping for joy. “This means there’s a pony around here somewhere!”
- You will see what you give your attention to.
- The story you tell yourself will determine your quality of life.
Ep 116: Cam Awesome. Look for gratitude to create more joy in your life.
Before looking at phone – write 10 things you are grateful for.
He began looking for gratitude as he went through his day.
Story he told himself – I have many things in my life that I am grateful for.
More than a gratitude journal! No repeats!
This is a good exercise. Even keeping a gratitude journal is a good way to help you see what you have to be grateful for.
Awareness and focus is a good starting point.
But if you want to discover the kind of power gratitude has, you need to feel it.
Thanksgiving is coming up in the US.
National holiday – family and/or friends
Official day to reflect on our blessings and give thanks.
This holiday and gratitude journals have the same weakness.
We think about what we’re thankful for. But there’s little or no feeling of gratitude.
If you want the benefits of gratitude, you have to get into the emotion.
The stronger the emotion, the more the benefit.
You can practice and get better at feeling the emotion of gratitude.
- Remember a time when you felt deep gratitude. Replay the memory.
- Lean into the feeling you had from that memory.
- Hold on to the emotion while you shift your attention to the present.
I started doing this as part of my morning routine. I took time to meditate and relax my body. I began to bring the emotion of gratitude into my meditation practice.
That was when I started to make progress to change my mindset.
Challenge: Do this every morning and evening between now and New Years.
See what a difference it makes in your life.
Added benefit: You won’t see the gorilla!
Messages of fear, disaster, crisis, and conflict.
- Inner strength to deal w/ real crisis.
- Inner peace about your future – no fear.
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