Stairs Or Conversation?
NOTES FROM CINDY BROWN
We all have different filters. The other night my husband humored me and watched my favorite reality TV with me. Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. We’re watching, and suddenly he pauses the show. I’m like, “What are you doing?” He says, “I’m looking at the stairs.”(For context, he designs custom staircases for a living.)
Then he starts explaining the design, the structure, the materials, the whole thing. We start watching again. A few minutes later… pause. “What now?” I ask. “I’m looking at the radius on that column.” Now mind you, I never even noticed the column. I was focused on the scene where Rachel Zoe was talking to her kids about their divorce.
Same exact show. Same moment. Completely different things grabbing our attention. And it reminded me of something important: We’re all looking at life through our own filters. Those filters are our beliefs. They decide what we notice. What we ignore.
What feels possible.
Which is why two people can see the exact same thing and react completely differently. For example, When you see someone massively wealthy, what happens in your body? Do you feel excited? Curious? Inspired by what’s possible? Or do you feel irritated and start judging them? That reaction tells you a lot. When something triggers you, it usually means there’s something sitting underneath it.
