Reticular Activating System - If You Don't Have It Your Game Is
Off
How often do we get in the way of our own success? Often we map
out a strategy and goal chart and then set sail on an unknown
ocean in order to achieve that which we truly desire, only to
end up crashing into the reefs. "The best laid plans of mice and
men often go awry." By Robert Burns often comes to mind.
Why is that the plans we so carefully charted out on our
passageway to success so often seem to fail? There are many
factors, not the least of which can be luck or being in the
wrong place at the wrong time. However, there are deeper factors
that control our circumstances hidden within our sub-conscious
mind.
I am sure you have often heard how the sub-conscious thoughts
we think can control what happens to us and that we need to
"visualize" what we want in order to obtain "it." Name it and
claim it so to speak. While I have always put stock in
visualization, I haven't put a lot of effort into it myself
until I began to research the RAS otherwise known as the
Reticular Activating System of the brain.
What is the Reticular Activating System of the brain? It's a
complex nexus of nerves at the base of your brain. The RAS gives
your brain the ability to sort through all the information
around you, allowing you the capability to index data that is
being thrown at you in order of importance or relevance. In
other words, the RAS tells you what should pay attention to and
what you should ignore.
Let me give you a simple example of an every day occurrence of
RAS in your daily life. Let's say today you went out to purchase
a new gold Ford Excursion. On your way to an important business
meeting regarding your music, you begin to notice a lot of gold
Excursions on the road when you hadn't before. Was there
suddenly a huge special on gold Excursions and now there are
hundreds more driving on the road? Probably not.
Most likely the cars were there all along, it's just your RAS
fast at work. Your Reticular Activating System has now indexed
the gold Ford Excursion as an important factor in your life,
causing you to recognize it at nearly every occurrence. Your RAS
is constantly working in both your personal and your
professional life, indexing the beliefs you have deemed in your
personal value system as important and those that you deem as
unobtainable.
Let me give you another example. All your life you have dreamed
of becoming the happening musician on the planet, but you have
constantly heard how impossible that task is and you
subconsciously bought into that belief. Externally, or in your
conscious mind you make your plans and work hard to achieve your
desired goal. Did you know that your conscious mind only
controls 17% of what you actually do? The other 83% is handled
by your subconscious mind. Look at those figures. 17% of your
conscious thoughts and actions are now going to handle your path
to success, while the other 83%, the part that believes you will
fail, will control the rest of your path to success. If you are
counting on your conscious mind to control your life, without
reprogramming your subconscious mind, you are fighting a losing
battle. Remember, "...best laid plans of mice and men."
So how do you change the viscous cycle that seems to waylay
your life and your aspirations of a successful music career or
success in anything for that matter? You need to learn to
utilize your RAS at will. If you learn to do so, you will tap
into an incredible resource of authority and resourcefulness
that will help you succeed where you have otherwise failed in
the past.
In order to begin your training, you will have to do a few
things to help yourself.
* You must become 100%, absolutely sure, without a doubt,
crystal clear about your wants, goals, needs and desires. *
Next...it is vitally important that you down your goals, plans,
dreams and desires as well as what you will do to obtain them. I
know you have heard this a million times, so I have. This time
you must do it! * Go over the list and read it allowed to
yourself at least three to four times a day. Sounds stupid, but
you MUST do it! Don't get in the way of yourself! Somewhere in
your subconscious mind is programmed a belief that says this is
a stupid exercise and it won't really work. So you say to
yourself you will either put it off until later or you believe
that if you just read this statement, you'll get it. You won't.
You have to follow it! Be proactive and do it! * This next part
is also very important, although you may feel silly doing it.
Tell your subconscious mind that this list is very important to
you and command it to find a way for you to accomplish all the
tasks you listed. Say it allowed at least two to three times a
day (more if you want). Again, get out of the way of yourself
and your past belief system and let your brain and RAS do the
job you want it to!
Once you do this, you will begin to find new ideas and beliefs
that will come into your belief system. It is important to write
these down as you will find a lot of real jewels among them.
This is just a start in your path to success and changing your
belief patterns about success. Are you still sitting here
reading? Come on...get on with it! Blessings and more to come
your way, every day! Jaci Rae - The Rae of Hope Copyright 2005
Jaci Rae