The "Reticular Activating System" or RAS, is the name given to part of the brain (the Reticular Formation and its connections) believed to be the center of arousal and motivation in animals (including humans). It is situated at the core of the brain stem between the myelencephalon (medulla) and metencephalon (midbrain).

The RAS is that little bundle of cells you have in the back of your brain known as the "control center", it serves as the filter for what enters your conscious and unconscious mind.According to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in his book, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, "we filter around 2 million bits of information per second down to 7 plus or minus 2 chunks of information." In other words, the data available to your central nervous system goes through a process of deletion, distortion and generalisation in order for you to make sense of all the information. The system in charge of sorting the information is called the RAS. The RAS is a self-filtering system that chooses what you accept and reject based upon your beliefs, values and prejudices. Learn how to program yourself and get off your RAS!

Focusing on two or three key areas of business or a singular goal does something special to your behavior. It triggers your RAS. Your brain is assaulted by thousands of messages each second. Everything you see, hear, smell, feel and touch is a message entering your brain. The RAS filters through all these messages and decides which ones will get page one treatment - that is, arouse the brain.

One of the things we've learned from working with entrepreneurs is that you tend to pay attention to the things which are important to you at the time. If your dominant thoughts are about creating a new business, you'll start seeing other businesses and ideas. You'll hear conversations about new business ventures. You'll pick up ideas relating to new business ventures and even see things around you in a different way and relate it back to business.

In other words, the RAS will reject or ignore anything unrelated to your focus and highlight anything that is even remotely related to the important issue - the new business venture. From a practical point of view, this means that, if you want to solve a problem or achieve a goal, keep it at the top of your mind. Think about it, talk about it, write about it and imagine it completed. This is one of the reasons why affirmations work so well and why it is important to review your goals frequently.

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If you focus on improving a specific key indicator of your business success, your RAS will pass through sights, sounds, people and ideas even remotely related to that point of focus. In other words, if you measure it visibly, frequently and attentively, it will likely improve.

Here's my suggestion: Identify the two to five key measurements and key indicators that are important and essential for your business. Set up an active system to measure and track these indicators. Talk to your employees about it at every opportunity. Put charts and graphs of these indicators on the wall of the lunch room. Make your interest in these metrics very active and visible.

Chances are, you'll get what you're looking for - improvements in these areas.

Count on it.

From a scientific point of view, the RAS is involved with the sleep/wake cycle and damage to the RAS can lead to permanent coma. It is thought to be the area affected by many psychotropic drugs. General anaesthetics work through their effect on the Reticular Formation.

Fibres from the Reticular Formation are also vital in controlling respiratory and cardiac rhythms and other essential functions.

The Reticular Activating System has received attention from neuroscientists interested in various pathological conditions affecting behaviour, such as Alzheimer's Disease. More recently, results of research on the area has prompted extrapolations from the data into various areas such as motivational programmes (for example, Getting Things Done) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). However, despite the rapid recent increase in knowledge of the structure and function of the brain, assumptions about brain function related to real world events made without specific evidence should be treated with immense caution.

The RAS is a structure in the brain stem that is responsible for arousal and sleep. The RAS is responsible for getting your up in the morning and putting you asleep at night - it makes sense then why your RAS awakens you, alerts you like an alarm to those things that are in the forefront of your consciousness.

So in closing - set your RAS to what you would like to manifest into your life.

Have fun!

Rik Schnabel.

Want to Learn How to Program Your RAS and Change Your Life?

To Find Out More Contact our Melbourne office on +61 3 8669 1121 or  email us via: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or View Training Dates