Time for audience participation: we see what we expect to see

I love traveling by train so when I found myself on the platform in Amsterdam looking for the right platform I was like a kid looking forward to an ice cream cone on a hot summer’s day.  (The fact that I was headed to Paris didn’t hurt either.)

Despite a well-organized system though I couldn’t find the right track.  I asked someone to point me the way and he replied ‘there, look at the sign, it’s just over there’.  I gazed up expectantly, only to be befuddled as I couldn’t see my train’s name on the sign he was pointing to.  I asked again.  He pointed again.  I befuddled again. Finally a kind soul pointed me the right way and all was well but not before I had a good laugh at myself.

Time for audience participation. Listen to the 5 second clip below and figure out how you’d spell the word I’m saying.

How did you spell it?

I come from a part of the world where a major telecommunications firm is of the same name.  So when the helpful guy told me to look for ‘tell-us’ I unwittingly looked for how the telecommunications company spells it, namely ‘telus’.

No wonder I couldn’t see what was posted on the sign right in front of my face.  The train company, far from being spelled ‘telus’ and yet while it’s pronounced the same, is spelled ‘thalys’.

We see what we expect to see.  Or as John Lubbock says, “What we see depends mainly on what we look for”.

Are you ready to see clearly?  Check out www.life-lenses.com