Okay, so lately I’ve been seeing the number 181 everywhere. Like, on license plates, receipts, clocks – you name it. It was starting to feel a little spooky, so I decided to do something about it.
My 181 Experiment
First, I grabbed my journal. I’m a big believer in writing things down. It helps me process stuff, you know?
I started by simply noting every time I saw 181. Just a quick tally mark each time. I did this for a whole week. Honestly, it was more frequent than I expected!

- Monday: Saw it 3 times.
- Tuesday: Spotted it 5 times!
- Wednesday: Only twice.
- Thursday: Back up to 4.
- Friday, Saturday, Sunday: A combined total of 10!
Next, I tried to pay attention to what I was doing or thinking right before I noticed the number. Was I stressed? Happy? Thinking about a specific problem? This was tougher. Sometimes I was just zoning out, other times I was super focused. There wasn’t a super clear pattern, but I did notice I saw it more when I was feeling a little anxious about a project at work.
Then, I decided to flip the script. Instead of just passively observing, I started to use 181 as a little trigger. Every time I saw it, I would take a deep breath and try to think of one thing I was grateful for. Kind of like a mini-meditation moment.
Honestly, this was the best part. It forced me to slow down and appreciate the small things. Like, one time I saw 181 on a coffee cup and I remembered to be grateful for that warm, delicious caffeine hit!
After a few weeks of this, the number 181 stopped feeling so… weird. It became less of a mysterious sign and more of a little reminder to be present and thankful. I still see it sometimes, but now I just smile and take that deep breath. It’s become my own little personal cue to check in with myself.
So, that’s my 181 story. Maybe it’s all just coincidence, but I chose to turn it into something positive. And hey, it worked!
