SFS Minute 971: Spotlight Effect

This week, I'm introducing five life truths that are just very uncomfortable. These are not things we like to talk about or acknowledge, but we need to in order to be happier people and better business people. These are things that we need to talk about and acknowledge. I'll give you an example right after this, There is something called the spotlight effect. It is the belief that people notice us far more than they actually do. In reality, everyone else is standing around in their own imaginary spotlight, worrying about themselves, wondering what you are thinking about them, which means that no one is really watching anyone at all. But the illusion is very powerful. It stops people from making sales calls. It prevents people from posting online. It makes it hard to ask other people out on dates. It makes it harder to launch a business. Forget about it. The spotlight is not real.