CHOOSE YOUR FILTERS

“Figure out what you want to see more of, and then make sure you look out for it.” Caroline Webb, How to Have a Good Day

We’re each living through the lens of our own private reality – one that is shaped by our automatic system’s attempts at allocating our attention to the right thing. We experience an incomplete,

subjective version of reality – one that may not

serve us. We can’t switch off our automatic system’s filtering function (it is, after all, automatic), but we can adjust the settings by being more proactive in defining our perceptual filters.

We consciously notice only a small selection of what’s actually happening around us, and filter out the rest. What we mentally file as important is

strongly influenced by our assumptions about ourselves and the world.

In How to Have a Good Day (Macmillan, 2016), Webb suggests taking some time to consciously set our filters each day by defining our AIM, ASSUMPTIONS,

ATTITUDE and ATTENTION.

By

AIM

Think about what’s most important to you on any given day. What do you most want to achieve? What matters most to you right now?

• Sample exercise: “What really matters to me today is to help my team get off to a strong start with our new clients.”

ATTITUDE

Notice and acknowledge the concerns that are dominating your thoughts and mood. Are they standing between you and your aim?

• Sample exercise: “I admit that I’m feeling grumpy and tired right now, and not necessarily in the mood to inspire others. I am irritated by the way the project is set up, and uncertain of its success.”

ATTENTION

Where do you want to consciously focus your attention to override your default attitude and achieve your aim?

• Sample exercise: “I can decide to set my irritation aside and consciously look for opportunities to help the team gel by highlighting common ground in our ideas. I choose to look for chances to inject warmth into the meeting.”

SET BEHAVIOURAL GOALS TO SUPPORT YOUR INTENTIONS

Now that you’ve chosen the most beneficial filter through which to view your ‘reality’, it’s time to define the behaviours that will support it. What tangible actions can you take to this end?

WEBB’S GOAL-SETTING TIPS

• Make sure your goals are about doing desirable things, rather than avoiding bad things. If they’re negative, consciously turn them around.

• Break your goals down into more manageable, bite-sized chunks.

• Create a ‘brain-friendly’ to-do list… - Write your goals down. - Keep only today’s tasks in view. - Make it satisfying to check off your goals. - Be realistic about what you can accomplish in a day.

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