Translated by AI

Understanding RAS—The Brain’s "Task Guidance Device"

Have you ever had this experience? When you are eager to buy a pair of white shoes, suddenly, all sorts of white shoes seem to appear everywhere as you walk down the street, browse your phone, or even enter a convenience store. This is not a coincidence, but your brain activating the "Reticular Activating System" (RAS) — a neural device responsible for "filtering attention."

Attention is a Filtered Reality

Every day, our senses receive over millions of messages, but our brain cannot process them all. It can only decide what information should enter consciousness based on "what is important to me." The RAS is responsible for this filtering. It acts like a checkpoint guide, letting only information that aligns with your beliefs, emotions, and goals pass through the gate. Thus, the things you notice have already been filtered; they exist, but whether you notice them or not depends on your attention.

Everyone Lives with a Filter

Famous American author Mel Robbins once said: "The color of sunglasses you wear determines what color world you will see." This is not just a metaphor but the actual functioning of the RAS. If you believe "the world is full of goodwill," you will notice others’ help, smiles, and support; if you believe "people only care about themselves," your RAS will actively magnify instances of indifference, rejection, and betrayal.

Life is an RPG Game

We often assume life is a marathon, where everyone starts from the same line, follows the same route, and faces the same checkpoints. Some may run fast, some slow, but the end point is the same. In reality, life is more like a role-playing game (RPG). Each person starts with different roles, backgrounds, and equipment, and the world you see is precisely the version of the checkpoint presented by your "protagonist setting" through the RAS.

Old Belief = Old Task, Change Belief, Change World

Your current focus determines the "task you are undertaking" right now.

If you believe you are not good enough or worthy of being seen, your RAS will endlessly present scenarios that deny, ignore, and make you doubt yourself. You are like a player stuck in a defeatist quest, battling the same enemies repeatedly. But when you start giving new instructions to the RAS, such as: "I am willing to see resources that support me and help me level up," new storylines gradually emerge in your world. It’s not that the world has changed, but you’ve finally adjusted the RAS’s focus to search for what you truly need.

It's like finally opening the menu and selecting the "main mission" instead of just being busy without direction.

Mini-Task: What Do You Want RAS to Focus on Today?

Please take three minutes for a simple exercise:

1. Close your eyes, take three deep breaths, and let yourself calm down.
2. Ask yourself: "What do I most want to accomplish or feel today?" For example, "I want to feel needed," "I want to find inspiration," "I wish to build good connections."
3. Write this "today's focus" on paper, then say a simple search command to yourself: "Dear RAS, please help me see all clues that support achieving this focus."
4. Throughout the day, pay attention to any small details — perhaps a word, a letter, a conversation, an inspiration... these are the signals of the world responding to your new task.

We cannot decide how the game is designed, but we can choose "what filter to bring into the checkpoint," "which challenge to face now," or even, "today, I just want to upgrade minor gear, without hurriedly tackling the main boss."

Your RAS is waiting for your command, and you are indeed the master of this game.