We see what we are looking for…

In addition to coaching women, I work part-time as a writer for a not-for-profit organisation. Earlier this week, a colleague returned from her regular morning coffee run, excited after spotting a well-known actor at our local cafe. Coincidentally, another colleague walked in soon after, also announcing she had seen the same actor.

What followed was a flurry of Googling to figure out who this man was and what movies or shows we had seen him in. Before long, without too much arm-twisting, I was convinced to go on a ‘recon mission’ to the cafe to confirm his identity.

I’m definitely not cut out to be a spy! My surreptitious glances didn’t fully convince me that this man was who they said he was. He might have been. I am not entirely sure. What I am sure of, though, is that we tend to see what we’re looking for.

We see what we are looking for…

Have you ever encountered an unfamiliar word and then started seeing it everywhere? Or considered buying a specific car and suddenly spotted it multiple times on your commute? Psychologists call this the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon, or the Frequency Illusion. Essentially, the Frequency Illusion is a perception that something you’ve been thinking about, all of a sudden seems much more frequent in your environment than it was before.

We're constantly bombarded with information, and our subconscious becomes highly skilled at filtering what we pay attention to and what we ignore. The frequency of that new word or car hasn't increased—it's just that these things are already on our minds. We see what we are looking for.

Creating a vision board harnesses the power of the Frequency Illusion by visually representing our goals and desires. When we pay attention to images and words that reflect our aspirations, our brains start to filter and prioritise these in our daily lives. This heightened awareness makes it easier to recognise opportunities and resources aligned with our vision, effectively bringing our goals into sharper focus and increasing the likelihood of achieving them.

If you’re curious about leveraging the power of the Frequency Illusion in your own life you might like to join me for my next Vision & Values Workshop held in Wellington.

See https://kellycoopercoaching.com/workshops for more details

Email kelly@kellycoopercoaching.com to book your spot