Yesterday, I experimented. While going to the office, I start looking for a red car. I was searching for a red car, or any vehicle that was painted red. Interestingly, I saw 10 vehicles until I reached the office. Did you experiment with it? Try it.
The fundamental idea is that wherever you direct your attention, it starts to manifest more. There is a quote that says that when you focus, life begins to grow. Where you neglect life, it goes to dry.
Let me explain a little more about the red car theory.
If I were to pose one straightforward question to you, When you go outside on a daily basis, how many red cars or vehicles do you see? Did you notice that, most likely, your response would be, “No, not a single one,” or “probably one or two?” However, it’s likely that you failed to notice them because you weren’t focused on them.
If I were to offer a reward of $100 to anyone who spots a red vehicle, you would consciously focus on finding 5 to 10 such vehicles.
Actual concept opportunities are always present, but once you notice them, they start to appear.
Everything is perception, when our focus changes or we put forth efforts to change our perception about certain things, our environment starts to change.
Experiencing adversity or misfortune often leads to further misfortune, and the opposite is also true when we experience good fortune. More lucky events start to happen.
Actually, we were intentionally seeking these.
The question now is, how do we relate this modern Red Car theory to ancient philosophy? They all talk about perception and focus. They all discuss how our mind shapes our reality.
For example, Epictetus said that
“We are disturbed not by things, but by the views we take of them.”
This quote explains that we have to focus on our perception. While we cannot control events, we can control how we respond to and perceive them. It is our emotional response to these events that determines our experience.
The same way Marcus Aurelius’ said, “The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.”
This implies that, regardless of the circumstances, we can maintain our happiness as our minds actively seek it out. our thoughts make of it. If we think more about happiness, more happiness will appear.
Some ancient Indian scripts also talk about a similar concept: “As you think, so you become.”
A similar Buddha said:
“We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.”
This Buddha quote also talks about the same concept and encapsulates the red car theory. Our thoughts and focus constantly shape our reality. If you concentrate on something, it starts to appear more frequently in your life. If you focus on a red vehicle, you start to see it more often.
I hope you like this video. On closing notes
The Red Car Theory highlights how our focus can shape our reality. By consciously directing our focus, we can alter our thoughts and perceptions of our surroundings. We can notice more things that align with our interests, goals, or emotions.