Cardinals and Crows: What You Focus On, You Create More Of

Life Coaching Tip: When you get clear and laser focused on your goals, your subconscious mind will start letting into your awareness anything that will help you achieve success. You will notice resources and opportunities that were always there but previously went unnoticed. Isn’t this an empowering and delightful fact? What you focus on, you create more of—for reals!

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Whenever I see or hear a cardinal while on my morning walk, it reminds me of my mother. Shortly after she passed away, I decided the cardinal was a sign she was with me, and this felt comforting—especially since there are so many cardinals in Northeast Ohio.

If I’m worried about something and then hear a cardinal singing a beautiful melody in the distance, I say, “Oh, hi, Mom! I’m so glad you’re here with me this morning!” 

My mom always seems to appear just when I need her most. *Note: I am hearing a cardinal sing a glorious tune just outside my window as I write this:)

And then when my dad passed away many years later, I decided his bird would be a crow. My dad was known to make a crow call anytime he saw one—often to my embarrassment—and he sounded EXACTLY like the real thing.

Now, just like with my mom and cardinals, whenever I see or hear a crow, I think: Hey there, Dad. Thanks for looking out for me!

Curiously, I see and hear a lot of crows these days. And when I see them with cardinals, it warms my heart. It’s reassuring to feel the presence of my parents on a spiritual level, especially on those days when I miss their advice, humor, and love.

And birds aren’t the only synchronicities of which I am keenly aware.

Numbers also catch my attention, especially when they match my birthday or repeat. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve noticed prices at $3.29 (my birthday) or how often I catch the clock at exactly 11:11.

Has this ever happened to you?

Do you notice “signs” or numbers that have significance to you more often than what might seem natural?

If so, I’m not surprised.

Because you notice what is important to you more often than what’s not.

And drum-roll please . . . What you focus on, you create more of!

While there is a spiritual element to this, it’s also brain science.

This is a fact.

I can’t emphasize this enough. It’s a fact.

It’s how your brain works.

Let me explain.

At any moment, millions of bits of information from your environment are competing for your attention—all of which you couldn’t possibly attend to at one time.

So, your brain’s reticular activating system (RAS) sorts and filters this information out—allowing into your awareness only those signals that can help you stay safe—and anything that matches your thoughts and beliefs about yourself and the world.

It lets into your consciousness what’s meaningful to you and discards the rest.

For this reason, it’s important for you to gain insight into which of your thoughts and beliefs are working for you and which are keeping you stuck. 

When you intentionally concentrate on what you desire and strengthen your belief that all you want is possible, opportunities magically begin to appear.

Laser focusing on your goals programs your brain’s RAS to start letting into your awareness anything that will help you achieve success. Your RAS will recognize resources that were always there but previously went unnoticed.

It will also activate your subconscious mind to problem solve and create solutions. You’ll find yourself coming up with innovative ideas, and you will feel a new level of inspiration to do things that get you closer to achieving your goals.

Here’s an example:

Imagine you have a great idea for a startup, but you also have a long-held belief that you are “not the kind of person” who can get a new business off the ground due to a lack of experience, business savvy, and financial resources.

Well, even when a friend who has a strong entrepreneurial background expresses interest in partnering with you or investing in your startup, your RAS will quickly dismiss the idea—either not taking it seriously, or not even “hearing” it at all.

Now imagine that you have a great idea for a startup, and you have the belief that you ARE the kind of person who can do anything she sets her mind to. This then inspires you to get very clear on the specifics of your goal, and you intentionally spend time visualizing your startup taking off.

Well, your RAS will then recognize how important this goal is to you, and it will bring into your awareness anything that will help you achieve success. You might think about your friend who is always looking for new ventures and has an entrepreneurial background and reach out to her.

Or you might notice an online course for first time business owners and sign up. Then, you may learn about funding sources that you had never thought of before.

And, of course, this will get you all stoked and excited about the endless possibilities for your new business! Your momentum will kick in, and you will be on it like a monkey on a cupcake!

Before you know it, your successful business will be up and running—and your new income stream will be flowing in fast and furiously!

Here’s a playful game that I’d like you to try:

For the next week, pick a random item to focus on. Something simple, like a squirrel or the number 7.

Then, spend about five minutes each morning and evening focusing on and visualizing that item. As you go about your days that week, take note of how many times that item comes into your awareness.

Everything counts: A squirrel might pop into your news feed or be enjoying an acorn on your deck—or your sister may tell you a funny squirrel story.

You may notice the cozy socks you’ve been eyeballing at Target have been reduced to $7.77 or that there are seven squirrels on your deck enjoying acorns (see what I did there!)—or you might hit the winning lottery drawing with 777. Yaaas!

Be light with it and have fun.  Allow yourself to experience the magic!

What you focus on, you create more of… for reals!

You are a powerful manifestor, my friend, and you have all the tools you need right now to succeed at anything you decide is important to you!

Amazing, right?

Once you’ve had some fun with this game, shift your concentration to your dreams and aspirations. Get your RAS focused on your goals!

I mean, it’s awesome to take in the lovely cardinals, crows, and squirrels, for sure. But there’s much more to all this. We are here for expansion.

Your dreams are waiting. So, start creating, Sister!

PS: Ready to get serious about manifesting your goals? I can help you to stay laser focused on what you desire. This is one of the reasons why coaching with me is so powerful. Check out my private coaching page here.