Today I was witness to a very powerful and interesting demonstration of how people can be blinded by their thoughts. It was raining this morning. The indoor car park at the local supermarket is usually pretty full even on a dry day, let alone on a day when it is raining. I am always conscious on days such as these of visualizing a nice big parking space coming free at just the right moment. You may laugh, but believe me, this nearly always works in my favor.

This morning, the process of visualization worked as effectively as ever. The two cars in front of me drove on and just as they did so, someone pulled out and I pulled in. Perfect! On my return to the car there were so many cars circling around looking for a space it was ridiculous. It was interesting that nobody seemed to notice me as I walked, shopping bags in hand, towards my car. Now, when I see someone walking with full shopping bags towards their car, I usually take this as an indication that they are likely to be leaving soon. But no, nobody noticed me.

What really got me thinking was that there was actually an empty space right next to my car, in clear view of all of those drivers who were frantically circling the car park. My conclusion was that they were all so panicked by thinking that they would not get a space that they did not even see not one, but two, very good, big and desirable car parking spaces. All of these busy shoppers were literally blinded by their fears.

This is a great demonstration of how powerfully our expectations really do create our reality. To imagine and visualize what you want to happen in your life opens your mind to that eventuality; you start to look for what you want, you start to listen out for what you want to hear and you begin to feel buoyant in your expectancy as well. On the flip side of this coin, if you expect that something will not work out to your advantage, you turn a blind eye to opportunities, and also a deaf ear and you can often find yourself sweeping all those great opportunities under the carpet.

In this life it really is very important to be aware of your thoughts and how they impact upon your experiences. Everything in life begins with how you think about it. I for one know that I prefer to think that I am lucky as opposed to unlucky; and this goes for many more things than simply finding a parking space as and when I want one.

Roseanna Leaton, specialist in hypnosis for change.