What Do You See?

Before I bought my car, I really never noticed Kia Souls on the road. In fact, cars were just cars. However, once I started car shopping, I seemed to noticed everything on the road. I noticed the similarities and I noticed the differences. And I really noticed the Kia Souls.

We tend to see what we’re looking for.

We are exposed to so much stimuli, there is no way we can take it all in. Just think of the millions of objects and people you see while just driving down a road. But we rarely see them.

We have selective perception. That means we only notice what is important to us, is entertaining, or meets a particular need (like when I was car shopping). I will write later on the incredibly important aspect of perception in our lives.

Perhaps when you were a kid you took long road trips with your family and played a game out of spotting particular objects. Suddenly whatever you were looking for was everywhere!

We are just kids grown tall. We tend to see what we’re looking for.

What are you looking for? Conflict? Comparisons? Criticisms? Or are you looking for acts of kindness? Gratefulness? Creativity? Beauty?

We find what we look for.

If we do the same things over and over, we tend to see the same things.

I heard about a man who everyday took a different route between his home and office. That way he was sure to see different things on a regular basis.

That was a recommendation when I took a creative communication class. Do things differently. Take a different route. Brush your teeth with the other hand. When we expose ourselves to new situations, we have the chance to see new things and think new thoughts.

Life is wonderful and exciting. But we have to look for it. We have to escape our comfort zone and see differently.

What are you looking for today?

Royalty-free image by Patrizio Martorana; retrieved from http://www.freeimages.com/photo/1413415