Have you ever noticed that when something is on your mind, you suddenly start seeing it everywhere? For example, if someone mentions a red Vauxhall, you see those cars everywhere you go. Or a certain phrase or theme that then comes up in several different conversations throughout the day.
It’s not that those things weren’t there before, and it’s not some kind of magic or witchcraft. It’s that your brain has decided they matter, so it brings them to your attention. Your brain is filtering your reality! You start to notice them more and more… And the same thing is happening when it comes to your money, your business and how you experience success, whether you realise it or not.
What’s actually happening behind the scenes
Our brains are constantly taking in huge amounts of information, far more than we could ever consciously process. So, in order to cope with that information flood, it filters what you’re aware of and what you’re not. This filtering system is often referred to as the Reticular Activating System, but you don’t need to remember the name to understand how it works.
Put simply, your brain is filtering your reality by highlighting what it believes is important and ignores everything else. What it believes is important is heavily influenced by your existing thoughts, beliefs and expectations. And that can impact a lot more of your life than what colours of cars you notice the most!
How this shows up in your finances and business
This is where things become interesting. If part of you believes that money is hard to earn, or that opportunities don’t come easily, your brain will start to filter your reality in a way that supports that belief.
You might notice setbacks more than you notice progress. You might overlook opportunities because they don’t immediately match what you expect. You might downplay your wins or move past them quickly, without really taking them in. Overall, it can feel as though nothing is changing, even when there are small shifts happening. You’re noticing the wrong things… And over time, that creates a very real experience of being stuck.
Why it can reinforce the same patterns
The tricky part is that this filtering process strengthens whatever you already believe. If your focus is on what isn’t working in your business or life, your brain becomes very good at finding and alerting you to more of that. Not because your situation is fixed, but because that’s what it’s been trained to look for. The more you see it, the more it feels true.
It becomes a cycle that’s hard to break, especially when you’re already putting in effort and not seeing the results you expected.
Becoming aware of what you’re looking for
The good news is that you can change what your brain brings to your attention, and the shift begins with awareness. Rather than assuming that what you’re seeing is the full picture, it can be helpful to start to question it. What am I noticing? What might I be overlooking? Where am I placing my attention?
Instead of forcing yourself to think positively or ignoring challenges, work on recognising that your perspective is being filtered, and that you have more influence over that than you might think.
How to start shifting your focus
Once you begin to notice your patterns, you can start to shift them in a way that feels natural rather than forced. That might look like taking a moment to acknowledge progress before moving on to the next task, or consciously recognising opportunities that you might previously have dismissed. You might notice where things are working, even in small ways, and allow those moments to register rather than brushing past them.
Over time, this helps your brain start to recognise a different set of signals.
A different way of experiencing growth
What I often see is that when this shift begins to happen, things don’t suddenly change overnight, but they do begin to feel different. People say there’s a little more clarity. A little more confidence, and a sense that things are moving, even if it’s gradually. It’s not that opportunities weren’t there before, it’s that your brain is now allowing you to see them.
Change what you see and change what feels possible
If you’ve been feeling stuck or as though nothing is quite shifting, it’s worth remembering this blog when you’re working and in the rest of your life. Your brain is always filtering your reality in some way. And when you begin to guide what you focus on, you start to change what feels possible.
If this is something you recognise in yourself, and you’re ready to start shifting the patterns that sit underneath your finances, goals and motivations, this is exactly the kind of work we explore inside my Aligned Abundance Academy. You can learn more and sign up here.