Tip#831: Creative Visualization, Part 1 - Reticular Activating System (RAS) - Priming - Focus

“What you focus on expands.” 
Oprah Winfrey, T. Harv Ecker & Esther Jno-Charles

When I was first introduced to the reticular activating system (RAS) it opened my mind up to the exciting reasons why creative visualization works on a scientific level. You’ve already been experiencing the RAS all your life without even knowing it. For example it allows you to hear your name at a crowded party. It allows mothers to hear their own child’s voice in a full playground. Or if you’re thinking of purchasing something like a car you will start seeing that same car everywhere you go. That’s the RAS at work!

Reticular Activation System (RAS)

The reticular activation system was first introduced by Tony Robbins in his bestselling book Awaken the Giant Within and says it may sound complex but is actually simple and profound. The RAS is like an automated filter at the base of the brain that can make things you’ve been seeking suddenly appear. According to the book Thaw: Freedom from Frozen Feelings there are over 2 million bits of sensory data around us at any given moment but the mind can only process about 40,000 bits. The RAS is what determines the bits we see and the ones we skip over.

Repetition is how you program the RAS to see the invisible. So through repetition of images and words of whatever you want, they will start to appear more and more in your life. A newspaper ad or billboard may catch your eye. Or your ears may suddenly catch something on the radio or in a nearby conversation at work.

In his book The Answer: Grow Any Business, Achieve Financial Freedom, and Live an Extraordinary Life, author John Assaraf compares the RAS to our own internal Google search engine. Google can find almost any answer and yet until you type in the exact key words of what you are searching for your answers will not appear. And since repetition is also key for programming your RAS regular affirmations, vision boards, books and movies on the subject you are interested in help amplify the process.

This is why creative visualization and tools like future pacing are successful methods for finding what you want AND achieving goals. Olympic gold medal winners like Michael Phelps attribute their success to creative visualization (see tip#568 and tip#759).

Focus (2015)

The romantic comedy drama film, Focus, is about veteran con artist, Nicky (Will Smith) who takes a novice named Jess (Margot Robbie) under his wing. Nicky teaches Jess the tricks of the trade in several engaging scenes along with his psychological explanations of human perception. The two leads have a playful, sexy, humorous chemistry between them and the film is a highly entertaining story about these two antiheroes.

What excited me the most about recommending this film is for a clear example of programming the reticular activating system. It’s best not to share any more details to not ruin one of the most intriguing scenes of the movie. You’ll know it when you see it. It’s scenes like this that can be viewed as a motivational tool for learning how to program your own mind to reveal answers you’ve been seeking that may already be right in front of you! Please note that I do not endorse their criminal activities but highly recommend you focus on the example of the RAS in action.

Priming

Priming is an important term highlighted in the film. Priming is a psychological technique for exposing a person to specific words or images that can create a dramatically positive response within the person without conscious guidance or intention. Priming s a term coined by behavioral scientists and popularized by author Malcolm Gladwell in his bestselling book, Blink. It is a powerful method used in sales. This is why it can be used as a personal affirmation tool for empowerment.

If you are intrigued by creative visualization or the concept of the reticular activating system then you’ve already started to program your mind. And through repetition you’ll soon identify and recognize other resources to learn more. Movies are always exciting ways to help you visualize and focus on ideas to help you improve your workplace or various areas of your life. Activate your creative visualizations today with a movie that shows something you want to manifest!

Fun 4 min. video clip: Reticular activating system

Related Tips:
Tip#831: Creative Visualization, Part 1 - Reticular Activating System (RAS) - Focus
Tip#890: Creative Visualization, Part 2 - Mental Health - Pawn Sacrifice  
Tip#980: Creative Visualization, Part 3 – Mental Imagery - Rio Olympics 2016 – 4 Inspiring Movies
Tip#389: Focus On The Reality You Want – Inception 
Tip#568: Visualization & Your Imagination, Part 1 – 6 Movie Tips
Tip#663: Visualization & Your Imagination, Part 2 – Bedtime Stories
Tip#759: Expand Your Mind with Time Travel Movies, Pt 2 - X-Men: Days of Future Past
Tip#408: How Movies Help You Visualize Success, Part 1 – Pecha Kucha Night – Temple Grandin
Tip#880: How Movies Help You Visualize Success, Part 2 - Fantastic Voyage

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