The brain takes in 11,000,000 bits of information every second, but can only consciously process 40. Just above the spinal cord, at the base of your brain, there’s this amazing little structure called the Reticular Activating System (RAS). It functions as a bridge between your conscious and unconscious mind, taking in just about everything unconsciously, but filtering out the information that you don’t need to consciously process. This is a big reason why we’re able to function and make decisions — there’s a heck of a lot to take in. We’d be paralyzed if our brains didn’t filter anything out.
Two other things we want to touch on.
You find what you’re looking for. Cars are just cars until you start playing slug bug. Then you see Volkswagen beetles everywhere. Your experience is, in part, shaped by what you tell yourself. So if you’re looking for motivation to reach your goals, you might just find it. If you’re looking for reasons to quit, you’ll find those too. Sometimes setting the intention and reminding ourselves of it regularly is enough to keep the momentum going.
You can influence other people’s RAS. The number of William’s Facebook posts that look like this is frankly ridiculous.
But you can bet, anytime I (Katie) see mismatched lightbulbs in the wild, my first thought is, “Oh, William would HATE that.” And my next thought is, “Maybe I should swap some of the bulbs in the office just to annoy him.” (I won’t, I promise.)
If someone sees your name once, they likely won’t think of you ever again. However, showing up repeatedly, consistently, in whatever context, builds associations in people’s minds. You’re not just some real estate agent. You’re a person named William, a person who lives in Golden Valley, a person who works in the Twin Cities, a person with cute puppies, a person who makes lasagne, a person who is loud, or a person with an undying hatred of different colored lightbulbs. You fit into specific, common categories in their brains, so that other things remind them of you.
