This statement, ‘you are what you think’, sounds simple, and in some respects it is. What we think about ourselves, our capabilities, our prospects etc, makes us act in specific ways. These in turn mould us and our lives.
This then creates a continuous circle unless you decide to change your thinking.
Why am I talking about this today? 2 reasons.
- I have just had an article posted to me from an old client. It reminded me of the Reticular Activation System (RAS) – more on this in a moment.
- And, as I said in my last post I am currently doing a lot of thinking about my next direction, so may need to change what I think about.
The RAS
The Reticular Activation System (RAS) is a part of our brain that is responsible for filtering and processing the vast amount of information that we encounter every day. It acts as a sort of gatekeeper, deciding which pieces of information to let in and which ones to ignore. Bringing to our conscious attention the information that is most important and tuning out distractions.
When it comes to positive thinking and career change, understanding how the RAS works can be extremely helpful.
In fact, you don’t need to be focused on career change. Any aspect of your life might benefit from scrutiny and need improvement. In terms of positive thinking, the RAS is believed to play a role in manifesting our goals and desires.
This is especially useful when you combine it with visualisation and/or meditation.
When we set an intention or focus our attention on a specific outcome, the RAS helps us notice opportunities or resources that can help us achieve that goal. This is sometimes referred to as the “Law of Attraction.”
How this can work
By focusing our thoughts and attention on positive and constructive ideas, we can train our RAS to be on the lookout for opportunities and possibilities that align with those thoughts. In other words, if we think positively about our career change and actively visualize success, our RAS will filter out negative thoughts, Instead it presents us with opportunities that are in line with our career goals.
For example, if you are looking for a job in a specific industry and you focus your thoughts on your skills and experience in that industry, your RAS will filter out other job opportunities that don’t match your criteria. Instead, it will present you with job postings, connections, or resources that are relevant to your career goals.
Pay attention
What this means in reality is that your attention will be drawn to the jobs you prefer and you will unconsciously overlook those that are not what you want.
But there is a catch – obviously, nothing is that easy. You have to be aware of your thoughts. Because you are in control of the act of training your RAS in the first place which means you must pay attention to your inner monologue. Your subconscious is most closely connected to your RAS so it can easily sabotage your thinking.
If you focus on negative thoughts, such as “I will never find a job in this industry,” your RAS will filter out opportunities that could have led to your dream job. It will instead present you with obstacles, rejection, and failures.
Practise paying attention to your inner critic and consciously reframing your internal language so you give the right prompts and focus to the RAS.
Conclusion
In conclusion, understanding how the RAS works and the power of positive thinking can be beneficial for your career change. By training your brain to focus on positive thoughts, you can reprogram your RAS to work in your favour and help you achieve your career goals.
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t—you’re right.” – Henry Ford
So my advice is to take some time out to re-evaluate your current situation, decide what is great in your life and what might need changing.
Maybe do some mindset exercises if you need, but above all make sure you know what you want any changes to look like. After that you can focus on making these changes happen.
This is a great exercise to start now, so you are ready to implement any transition around the New Year with is so well suited to new resolutions.
If you would like to learn more or contact me to have a quick chat please do not hesititate to get in touch.