Podcasts. They’re pretty new to me. In recent years they’ve fueled me, taught me, and inspired me. I generally don’t recap here what I’ve heard, but I’m inclined to share this week a thought I heard while listening to Lewis Howes interview Jim Kwik. It’s a foundational insight to a phenomenon that interests me. You see, what we’re thinking is what gets our focus. And our focus controls our Reticular Activating System (RAS). The RAS protects us from the millions of bits of information and stimuli that come at us all day long. It allows in what we’ve signaled it to let in (through our thoughts) and keeps out all that is not important. Otherwise, we’d go crazy.

The first time I experienced this was when David and I bought a Mitsubishi Galant years ago. We’d never heard of the car, I’d never seen one before. But we tested one out, liked it, and purchased it. Then I began to see Galants all around me. The roads were full of them. Did they just magically appear? No, they were there all along, but they were not relevant, so my RAS didn’t let them in. Then later when they were in my mind, I could see them.

I think about the law of attraction, the idea of manifesting desires and goals. Perhaps that’s a misnomer. Manifesting would indicate it wasn’t there and now it is. Like poof! It’s magic! Rather, perhaps it is there, but I’m just not seeing it. I’m not thinking it, it’s not even an idea in my head. Doesn’t that happen all the time? We need an answer, and then we find it and say, “Gee, it was right in front of me all the time.” Maybe that’s a matter of signaling the RAS to show us what we have. Learn more about it here: Reticular Activating System

Okay, so maybe I’m wondering into the woods. I’ll stop here. It’s a thought that is still taking shape in my brain. Meanwhile, I’ve been asked what I read or listen to. What influences me? Let me share with you the names of the podcasts I’ve been listening to the most lately. You might enjoy them, too. Or feel free to share what fuels, teaches, and inspires you.

Lewis Howes- The School of Greatness, The Marie Forleo Podcast, The Melisa Ambrosini Show, The Jack Canfield Podcast