The Elevate Edit / Backstage Notes / Act 1

Why do I suddenly see that car everywhere?

Attention, without the magic promises.

By The Elevate Edit · Elevate Mindset Mastery · November 5, 2026 · Creative education

You think about a blue car. Then three appear on your drive. RAZ, our fictional lighting operator, would like a little credit. The cars did not arrive because you pictured them; your attention may have changed what stands out.

In research on inattentional blindness, people concentrating on a task sometimes missed an unexpected visible event. That supports a modest point: attention has limits. It does not establish that a thought attracts an external outcome, or that RAZ is a literal diagram of the reticular activating system.

RAZ: “I’m in lighting. People keep putting me in charge of destiny.”

Try a 30-second noticing experiment

Look for three curved objects. Then three straight lines. What changed was the task you gave yourself. This is a casual noticing activity, not a validated attention test.

Now choose a focus within your control: “Where could I ask one useful question today?” Write down what you actually observe, including anything that does not fit your expectation.

Research note: Simons & Chabris, 1999. A controlled visual-attention study, not evidence for manifestation or a promise of everyday results.