RAS - The Genie Inside Us !

Is there a way to turn all our dreams into reality?

Possibly yes, but only when we

• get hold of a magic wand and "ABRACADABRA" our way to success

                                             OR

• call to our service Aladdin's Genie

The possibility of us finding a magic wand or Alladin’s lamp is next to impossible but lo, there exist a genie inside each one of us which when invoked has the power to transform all our dreams into reality and put us on path to goal accomplishment.        

This genie is very much an integral part of our physical self, our identity and is known as RAS (Reticular Activating System). Remember the coincidences that appear in our life and leave us in wonderment when what we seek appears all around us (whether it’s a new car we have been longing for or  a new holiday destination we have been exploring or anything else that is being sought by us). For a moment, it appears as if some supernatural power is at play but in real all that’s happening around us is a manifestation of the genie called RAS. Rather than rubbing of the lamp, this genie (RAS) just needs to be fed with our goals, things we intend to achieve in life.

RAS (Reticular Activating System) is a network of neurons located in the brain stem. It connects with other parts of the brain and to the spinal cord. In addition to being responsible for sleep, wakefulness and breathing, RAS is also responsible for many other functions like eating, elimination of boy waste and bringing things to our attention. Every moment, our brain is  bombarded with million of bits of information but only few thousand gets processed by it and what should get processed is determined by RAS.   

RAS  acts as a point of confluence where all our thoughts, feelings, beliefs, value and external influences meet. Based on what is fed by us in our conscious mind (in the form of goals), RAS filters the incoming sensory inputs (except smell which goes directly into brain’s emotional area) and sends to the subconscious mind only the information that aligns with our goals and focus. This is how coincidences occur with us as our subconscious start seeking in the environment what we have established as intent in our conscious mind.

So, to invoke the genie inside us so that it fulfills all our dreams, all we need to do is to establish goals effectively by writing them down. It’s only when the genie(RAS) sees the real intent in our goals that it starts weaving it’s magic in our life ! 

BUSYNESS - The Utopian Paradox

The Utopian Paradise of Productivity and Efficiency that we dream of in 21^st Century is infact a Paradox built on the pretext of “Busyness”. The phenomenon of Busyness emanates from our desire and quest for “more”, at times even more than what we can manage or handle. The self-imposed demand to be the best and be “ahead of the pack” is further compounded by the plethora of information, knowledge and digital technologies that surround us.

We, the super species of 21^st Century are smitten with the concept of “more” and bitten by the bug of “busyness”. We love to be always “busy” and wants lots on our plate, most of the times more than we can possibly manage or handle. Productivity and Efficiency provide the foundation for this Utopian world we dream about but if “multi-tasking” becomes the order of the day and being into “too many” becomes the success indicator, a status of achievement then there’s still a long way to go for us.

Being in the midst of information overload, clutter, unfinished tasks  gives us a false feeling of having achieved something but in reality there’s hardly any accomplishment. In the “shroud of pretence” that we create , productivity and efficiency gets overshadowed by our deep ingrained habit of pretence or showing off. This sets in a false belief of accomplishment where nothing much exist. All this is a sure shot way to leave us anxious, depressed and restless and that is detrimental to our overall wellbeing.

“Busyness” may seem overwhelming but few small steps could definitely help us move out from this trap and create the Utopia. Some of the steps are mentioned below:

• Replace multi-tasking with single-tasking and focus on “one thing at a time”. This would enable us to put all our energy and undivided attention on the task at hand which will give us better results. 

• Understand limitations of our brain, in terms of how much information it can process. This would help us understand our “stretch limits”.  

• Limit our “digital engagement”

• Create regular “mindful periods” in daily routine to reflect on our tasks and priorities

It’s time we realize that busyness is not helping us get  better at anything in our life. The action is plenty but accomplishment is nil or little. So, let’s evaluate whether we are affected by the “busyness” bug and do whatever it takes to become more productive in life!