Imagine that are at a very loud concert when you suddenly hear your name and immediately your brain reacts to your name whilst everything else is just loud noise (no other words become clear as the music is so loud). Still, you heard your name!
This is your Reticular Activating System at work! The definition from Wikipedia goes: “The reticular formation in our brain consists of more than 100 small neural networks, with varied functions”, here is the link for more information.
What I want to focus on when it comes to the Reticular Activating System (RAS) is the above function I just mentioned. The RAS is also the system that helps you sort through all thoughts and impressions going through your mind all the time keeping you from a burnout (shortcut), both consciously and subconsciously. It works as the filter of everything that is passing through your mind which means both things that happen in real life OR just the thoughts in your mind (here we go again… the super importance of what we think…).
A great example of this is when you buy a new car you have been wanting for a very long time and whilst driving out from the shop you feel great! But after driving for a few hours, you realize that you are not the only one driving that new BMW, it is all around and all over the place! What the hell just happened you might think (or not)?!
The cars (or any other product) had been there all the time. You had just not noticed them as much before but now when this particular car is all over your mind, your RAS knows it is important to you and will therefore make sure you see it every time!!!
This RAS filter (think of it as a pair of really cool glasses you wear to see only the most important stuff!) is in constant work, going through everything that is happening and working in your favor to make you notice the right things when they happen. A lot of information your RAS will deem important but most of the information it will deem unimportant and the really cool thing about this is that you can help the RAS to work in your favour!
Think about it for a second…
Why can you hear your own name in a noisy place?
Why can you suddenly hear your favorite song when you are engaged in a deep conversation with someone?
Why does a mother wake up when a baby cries but can still fall asleep in a noisy car?
Why did you only hear certain things your teacher told you in school and not everything (for sure you heard when they called your name even if you were busy)?
Why do you react when your partner tells you someone is breaking into your car during a super bowl game when you have heard nothing else she has said all night?
How is it possible for you to have made it all the way to work when the last thing you remember was getting into your car?
I could go on and on but I am pretty sure you get the picture…
There is something there actually helping us filter through everything that is going on and helping us notice what “it” deems important. However, that “it” is basing this on what we have made the RAS think is important to us based on our thoughts and actions!!
How you can take benefit of this knowledge!
Pretty straight forward I would say – we simply become what we think about. Our thoughts become things because our RAS will help us see and hear everything that is important and linked to those things we constantly think about!
So you want to be “lucky”? If you tell yourself that over and over again with genuine feelings and you start anticipate luck to happen for you, you will for sure be more open when luck stands there with an open door. That is what many people call synchronicities, but to me they happen all the time and I know why (the RAS) and how to make them happen all the time!
By purposefully using these tools; vision board, goal setting, positive affirmation and autosuggestion whilst always being open to new things I am influencing my Reticular Activating System to work in my favour. Of course I am appreciating every time things happen for me even though I know they are going to happen for me all the time! Have a look at this post on a few synchronicities and eventualities which happened to me a little while back.
Actions to take:
- Create your vision board and use it emotionally
- Create great morning habits
- Set clear goals and see yourself achieving them – visualize! If you haven’t set yours yet, download our Goal setting template and get started!
- Meditate to control your thoughts, don’t let them dominate your existence
- Use autosuggestion to impact your subconscious mind and start making sure your Reticular Activating System is working in your favour
- Put this into practice and you will be unstoppable!
– Jakob
“We become what we think about”
– Earl Nightingale
Alice says
Thanks for the good information. It may help to have a digital vision board. See upwordsproductions.com