What role does your brain’s filtering system play in achieving your goals? How can you train your mind to notice more opportunities that align with your dreams?
According to Ed Mylett, the reticular activating system in your brain filters information and shapes your perception of reality. By understanding and working with this natural mechanism, you can enhance your awareness of opportunities that match your aspirations.
Continue reading to discover practical techniques for programming your RAS to support your journey toward success.
Ed Mylett on the Reticular Activating System
One way to shape your reality is to be more intentional about what you focus on. You can attract more opportunities and resources by focusing more on your goals every day. According to Ed Mylett, the reticular activating system (RAS) can help you do this. The RAS is a network of nerve cells in your brain that acts as a filter for information. It helps you notice things that are important to you and filters out less relevant information. This increased awareness of your priorities can help you take advantage of resources and chances you might have otherwise missed, allowing you to actively shape your reality in line with your goals.
(Shortform note: Some neuroscientists argue that self-help interpretations of the Reticular Activating System (RAS) often stray from scientific reality. They explain that the RAS serves basic functions like helping to regulate your sleep-wake cycles, maintain consciousness, and filter basic sensory information. While it does play a role in determining what information reaches your conscious awareness, it can’t magically attract opportunities or reshape reality. This scientific perspective doesn’t completely invalidate the value of focusing on your goals—positive thinking still boosts your motivation. However, it’s important to pair your hopeful thoughts with effort and action instead of relying on your RAS to make them come true.)
Mylett suggests you harness your RAS by vividly imagining a specific goal and replaying that mental movie until it’s embedded in your subconscious. For instance, if your goal is to be a professional painter, you might picture yourself in a sunlit studio, surrounded by your completed artworks, with galleries calling to book your next show. By replaying this scene in your mind daily, you may suddenly notice art supply sales you previously overlooked, overhear conversations about upcoming gallery openings, and meet other painters.
(Shortform note: Some experts argue that it’s more beneficial to imagine the process of achieving your goal instead of just the outcome. Imagining the outcome can trick your brain into thinking you’ve already succeeded, giving you a false sense of accomplishment that makes you less motivated to take action. Instead, break your goals down into manageable steps that you can visualize and succeed at one by one. For example, rather than picturing yourself in a gallery surrounded by your artwork, visualize yourself setting up your easel, mixing paints, or completing a single painting. While picturing your ideal future can help your RAS spot opportunities, focusing on the process of getting there makes that vision a reality.)
