The Reticular Activating System (aka R.A.S.) is an extremely handy little part of our brain, that is the gatekeeper that lets relevant filtered information into the conscious mind.

Sound a bit woo-woo? It’s not at all.

This clever little piece of grey matter is responsible for filtering the millions of pieces of data our sensory organs take in daily and selects the ones that matter most to us.

Think of the R.A.S. as the bouncer for your brain. Its job is to discern the information that is in line with your most common thoughts and allow it access to your conscious mind. The rest of the data is blocked, which protects you from overwhelm. Cool huh?!

Check out this cool little explainer video by HappiMe App

Another excellent use for the R.A.S. is to help us focus on what we want, #goalgetting. Have you ever noticed once you make up your mind to pursue a goal – let’s take buying a car as an example, you start to see that car more often? That’s because your R.A.S. is seeking out that car for you. It’s a pretty handy little mechanism, right?

Two key take outs:

1. Be aware of your predominant thoughts and make sure they are helpful for you. Hint… an attitude of Grati-Tude is really helpful!
2. Decide on a goal and let your R.A.S. present the opportunities to achieve it.

Give it a try…