Carl Jung said we can’t see anything outside of us that isn’t inside of us. In other words, we don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.
Have you ever considered what the world is like for your family pet? Take your dog for example, whose sense of smell is much more developed than his eyesight. His world is dominated by smell. Can you imagine what that might be like? Or take a bat for instance, who is so close to being blind, it navigates by sound. When people become blind the amount of area of the brain responsible for vision is reduced and other senses take over the same space, changing the way that person interprets the world.
The more we think about reality from other perspectives it becomes obvious that there are multitudes of information that we simply aren’t aware of, creating an unlimited number of ways of interpreting the world, and thereby creating reality. How we see the world is not actually how it is, it is simply a representation of how it is. To us though, it is real.
Of course, if we were to interpret all of the information surrounding us, our brains would become overwhelmed and be unable to make sense of any of it.
It has been suggested that in any one moment in time our brains are able to process 7 + or – 2 bits of information. So out of a potentially unlimited number of things to process, we must find a way to choose what to interpret and what to ignore in order to develop a representation of what’s really there. It chooses what to filter in and what to leave behind based on what we choose to focus on.
Have you ever bought a car? Did you notice that as soon as you decided to buy that model and make it was all of a sudden everywhere on the road? This isn’t a coincidence; you simply chose to see that make and model more frequently because that was your focus.
Using this model of physical reality, let’s try transposing it onto the reality of thought and possibility. Imagine you are in the warehouse of thought and possibility, where everything exists. It’s pretty dark in there, so you pull out your flashlight and flick it on. What you see is those familiar habits, which are keeping you from achieving your goal, the excuses, the unproductive beliefs and lack of responsibility. Now, simply shift the torch around a fraction and there you see endless amounts of motivation, inspiration, possibility and a way to overcome your situation. And as you do this, you realize they’ve been here all the time, you just weren’t focusing on them.
What we focus on is our reality.
They say that the definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over and expect a different result. Well, if our reality is created by our focus, how do we expect to change our reality unless we change our focus?
So, if we’re not getting the results we desire, how do we choose our focus? We tend to focus on what we believe to be real, and also what we value.
Beliefs
As humans, we’re pretty egotistical beings, so if we have a certain belief, we’re set out to prove ourselves right. So, this ends up being what we focus on, and we ignore evidence to the contrary. For instance, if you believe your husband is unsupportive of your career choice, you’ll find evidence to prove it, and on an energetic level, he’ll pick this up and he’ll start to prove it too. On the other hand, if you choose to believe that he is actually supportive of your choices, you’ll begin seeing evidence to back that up, and again, energetically, he’ll be on board.
We tend to form our beliefs based on our past experiences, which is understandable, but just because something happened then, doesn’t mean it’s going to happen again. So how about we start basing our beliefs on what we want to happen, in order to shift the focus on our filters, allowing the right opportunities to present themselves, and get noticed by us!
So, let me ask you:
1. What’s your goal?
2. What opportunities need to present themselves in order for you to achieve it?
3. What beliefs are preventing you from noticing the opportunities?
4. What new beliefs do you need to instil in order to notice them?
5. Just keep repeating them until you believe in them and watch the magic unfold!
Values
As you probably already know, values are those things that are important to us. However, to make it more tangible, values as those emotional experiences that you want to have on a regular basis. For example, joy, happiness, vitality and adventure are all values. It makes sense that these are the things we focus on in life. If you, who values safety, for instance, went to an amusement park with a friend of yours who valued adventure, you would be thinking about the dangers of some of the rides, imagining what might go wrong and looking for the Ferris wheel, while your friend has taken off to join the rollercoaster queue.
Values have also been installed based on previous experiences and what we’ve been taught through our childhood. When it comes to seizing opportunities, we have to have our filters adjusted in alignment with desired opportunity. For instance, if your goal was to become a business owner and you were looking for a good opportunity to buy into, and you valued security, (based on an unstable childhood), and therefore weren’t much of a risk taker, you’re going to have a hard time seeing an opportunity when it comes up. Instead, you need to value adventure, excitement and spontaneity. “But how do I shift my values?” you ask.
Try this:
1. Identify the values you need to seek the right opportunities
2. Identify the values that are standing in the way
3. Shift the unsupportive values through visualisation or EFT Tapping
4. Install the new values, also through visualisation or EFT Tapping
If you need help with this, let me know!
In summary, what we focus on become our reality. In order to notice the opportunities, you desire in life, you have to change your belief and value filters. You might like to start with believing that there are endless opportunities out there and the right one will come your way!