CHAPTER 1


Why We Focus on What We Don’t Want

When I introduce the concept of Seeing Red Cars, people immediately understand it from two perspectives.

1. They understand that it’s really important to focus on what we want because the more we focus on and take action toward what we want, the more we’re going to get back. They understand that intuitively. They understand that logically.

2. When it’s brought to their attention, they also understand the natural inclination to focus on what we don’t want. I can explain this concept to an 8-year-old or an 80-year-old, and everyone understands it. They recognize that if you’re going to play a game, you’re going to focus on winning that game. They recognize that race car drivers focus on the track, not on the walls they’re trying to avoid.

There are two predominant reasons why it is so ghastly hard to change behaviors:

1. It is estimated that we have 12,000 to 50,0000 thoughts coursing through our brains each day, and 70% of them are focused on what we don’t want and what we’d like to avoid.

2. When people encounter important new information, there are three typical reactions: 20% are very open and excited about it, 50% are cautious and not forthcoming with their support, and 30% are openly opposed.