We See What We Want to See

My friend used to be obsessed with 11:11. He said he'd see it everywhere. As we got older we realized he saw it everywhere because he was looking for it, and his brain would make mental notes whenever he saw it. That idea applies to a lot of what we notice in life. We have biases. If we don't like someone, there's very little they can do to change our minds. When we adore someone, we'll be very forgiving of their shortcomings. Our brains are more complex than we think, and our first mistake is assuming we can completely understand ourselves. The smartest thing we can admit is that we'll never fully understand how we work. There's power in noticing the patterns of life and noticing the biases we have. If you can't name one good thing #Trump has done since being president, that's not because he hasn't, it's because of your cognitive dissonance (when you're done looking up that idea, look up Alice Marie Johnson). Let's not wait for signs, because our brain has its own blinders on. Instead, let's grab the pen and take more responsibility for writing our story. We'll never have complete control, but that doesn't mean we can't focus on the little we have. Let's not wait for signs, when we have the power to create them.