Robbins' Object Spotting Exercise

Tony Robbins demonstrates how we can program our brain's attention system through a simple but powerful exercise about perception and focus.

The Exercise Setup

• Ask participants to look around room and find everything that is red
• Have them focus intensely on finding red objects
• After searching, have participants close their eyes
• Then ask them about blue objects in the room

Key Insights from Exercise

• People can't recall blue objects because they weren't looking for them
• Shows how our brain filters information based on what we tell it to look for
• Demonstrates the Reticular Activating System (RAS) in action
  • RAS is like a "heat seeking missile" in your brain
  • Filters out unnecessary stimuli
  • Only pays attention to what you program it to notice

Real World Applications

• Car shopping example
  • When considering buying a specific car model
  • Suddenly notice that model everywhere
  • Cars were always there but brain now flags them as important
• Gratitude practice example
  • Initially hard to find things to be grateful for
  • Training brain to look for grateful moments during day
  • Start "stashing" grateful moments to recall later
  • Become more naturally grateful over time

Key Takeaway

• You can program what your brain pays attention to
• Your RAS will find whatever you tell it matters
• This can be used intentionally to shape perception and behavior
• The brain needs to be trained to notice what you want to focus on