Your RAS Matters
Photo: Paul Skorupskas
My husband and I just returned from visiting family on the east coast. We attended our nephew's beautiful wedding, and since the location was close to my mom's house we decided to surprise her too. It was a pretty magical trip!
Until our return travels home…
Our flight to Atlanta was delayed by four hours—which coincided with the timing of a tornado warning!
As we were about to board the plane, the attendants closed the ramp due to the oncoming storm.
Once we finally took off, we held in a weather pattern over Atlanta waiting for the storm to pass.
Our flight out of Atlanta was delayed multiple times—from a departure of 11pm to 1:45am.
As we prepared to board at 1:45am the attendant made the abrupt announcement that our flight to LA was canceled.
Because of the storms and it being so late, all of the hotels in the area were full. Vince and I stayed the night at the Atlanta airport.
We spent a solid 90 minutes on the phone with Delta getting rebooked. It was complicated because Vince had planned to travel to see his dad—whose wife was in the dying process—the following day.
Fortunately, he was able to get booked on a flight the next day to his dad's and I was able to get booked onto a flight going to a nearby airport where I could drive home. (It would've taken two days before I could get a flight to LAX.)
It was quite an adventure.
WHY AM I SHARING THIS?
It's easy to feel good and trust life when things are going well. It's another to show up as your best self when things are challenging.
For the last eight months, I've dedicated myself to rewiring my mindset—aka reprogramming my Reticular Activating System (RAS).
Our brains take in 11 million bits of information per second. The Reticular Activating System helps to filter and organize that data.
“Your RAS takes what you focus on and creates a filter for it. It then sifts through the data and presents only the pieces that are important to you. All of this happens without you noticing, of course. The RAS programs itself to work in your favor without you actively doing anything. Pretty awesome, right?
In the same way, the RAS seeks information that validates your beliefs. It filters the world through the parameters you give it, and your beliefs shape those parameters. If you think you are bad at giving speeches, you probably will be. If you believe you work efficiently, you most likely do. The RAS helps you see what you want to see and in doing so, influences your actions.”
Excerpt from “If you want it, you might get it. The Reticular Activating System explained” by Tobias van Schneider for Medium.
My RAS used to be programmed to notice what was wrong. Now, through my consistent efforts over time, I'm unconsciously noticing what's right.
I saw the impact of my efforts first-hand during my recent travel experience. I naturally found the magic in real-time as it unfolded. I easily moved into acceptance of what was and found moments of deep gratitude: Vince and I were together, he was able to get to his dad's in a timely way, our housekeeper was able to stay the night with our dogs, and a friend was able to pick me up from Orange County.
There were so many blessings that I would've missed in the past.
HOW TO REPROGRAM YOUR RAS
There are a few things I'm doing to retrain my system, and the one I'll share now is my morning routine.
Each morning I meditate and then take five minutes to:
Set my intention for the day.
Write down three moments of Magic from the day before.
Create my Daily Day Dream. (If you don't know what that is, you can read more about it inside my guide, Live Your Best Day Today.)
These practices are simple and yet profound when used consistently over time.
MORE!
I'll be sharing more ways to reprogram your RAS inside Discover Live Trust Your Truth.
There are only TWO spots remaining and the early enrollment bonus of two additional 1:1 calls with me ends on Tuesday, August 15th.
If you've been thinking of joining but haven't reached out or applied, now is the time!
It is possible to change your mindset and your life. At the very least test out my morning practice and see what happens for you. Remember, the key is consistency over time!
With loving,
Amber
live your best day today
Get my free guide with three simple, yet powerful, actions to CREATE your day (rather than react to it)
so you can feel more alive, abundant and on purpose.
