Explained: How Setting Intentions Actually Works

Let's talk about setting intentions.

Now,

I'm about as woo-woo and kind of spiritual as you can get,

But I'm also a total neuroscience and psychoeducation geek,

And there is nothing that I love more than understanding what's going on in these body-mind systems of ours and learning a little neuroscience that proves what the mystics have known for all these years.

So let's get a little science-y for a second,

And I'll keep it practical for you,

All right?

So I'd like to introduce you to an important function of your brain called the reticular activating system,

Also known as the RAS.

So we're just gonna call the reticular activating system the RAS moving forward,

And the RAS is the part of your brain that helps you notice things.

So for example,

If you're running out of your house and you realize you don't have your car keys,

What the RAS does is it blurs everything out in your home to help you find your keys so you can see them amongst everything else that's there in the mess.

Or for example,

Let's say you're rummaging through your purse to try to find your lip balm.

Well,

Your RAS will tune your hand to feel for the exact shape and the exact size of that lip balm,

And so this is how you can reach into your purse without even looking and right away know whether you're holding onto the lip balm or grabbing a similarly-sized lipstick or a mascara.

What happens here,

And this is what I want you to notice,

Is the RAS helps your brain zero in on exactly what it's looking for all the time.

And now science has proven that the amount of storage we have in our brain is limited.

So we can only process so much at one time,

But every single day and every moment,

There are billions of stimuli flying at us,

Both internally and externally,

All of these things fighting for our attention.

And since the brain can't process all of those things at once,

It uses the RAS to decide what's important to remember and what's not.

And so every image that you see,

Every color you process,

Every conversation you hear,

Every emotion you feel,

And every thought you have is filtered through your RAS.

And then everything that's deemed useless gets filtered out and thrown away,

But then everything that is considered necessary for your survival gets stored and processed.

And now this is where intention setting comes in.

I want you to listen closely.

Intention setting is the act of focusing your RAS on what you decide is important.

And if you don't decide what's important,

Your brain will operate in what's called default mode,

Which is especially dangerous for those of us who've grown up with any kind of struggle or any kind of trauma,

Because oftentimes those repetitive default settings are exactly what cause us to keep internalizing those struggles.

And then we actually end up sabotaging ourselves over and over again.

I know this because I've been through it as well.

But what I want you to know is there's a way out.

And this is what intention setting is all about.

So here's the thing.

Default mode keeps you stagnant.

Default mode keeps you stuck in the same routines,

Eating the same foods,

Engaging in the same habits,

Repeating the same toxic cycles.

Default mode is the system that has held so many of our lineages back for generations.

And my friend Eva taught me this analogy that illustrates the power of intention so perfectly that I want to share it with you right now here.

So imagine this.

Imagine that your brain is a highly trained search and rescue dog.

And this search and rescue dog has the incredible ability to pick up scent from miles away.

So I know you've seen this in movies because they often send search and rescue dogs like out into the wilderness to save a missing person.

And what happens is the dogs run through the forest,

Tracing that person's scent so they can bring them back to safety.

That's what they do.

But what's the first and most important vital step that happens before the dogs are released into the wild?

They must be given the original scent.

Without the original scent,

The intention,

The dogs would aimlessly run around chasing every distraction that piqued their interest.

They would stop at every tree,

Go off chasing every squirrel that they saw when they're supposed to be saving one.

So not setting an intention is like sending your brain out into the forest of your life without giving it a guiding scent to follow.

So your intention is much more than just a dedication or some kind of a purpose.

It is your way of giving your life and the universe direction for where you want to go.

And if you are not clear about your intention,

The outcomes that happen in our lives become scattered and your brain will go barking up every single tree.

Without intention,

Every opportunity looks like a good opportunity.

Without intention,

You'll run around enjoying things momentarily until the next distraction comes.

Without intention,

Your brain will stay in default mode and it will discard everything you need for your growth.

So setting an intention is revolutionary.

It gives you the power of choice.

It tunes your RAS,

Your reticular activating system to focus on the information that will lead you to the life you desire.

And now I hope you know a little bit more about what's actually going on in your brain when we talk about the power of intention as you explore all of these amazing videos.

We have so many videos and so many practices right here on Insight Timer that will help you step into the life of your dreams.

And I hope this video will help you understand a little bit more of what's going on inside as we go along this journey.

So I'll close with this.

For so many of us,

It's hard to believe that our current circumstances could ever lead to the life of our dreams or our limitless potential.

But I want you to know it can.

And this is why we're talking about intention.

This is why intentions are so important.

They tune your RAS,

Your reticular activating system to focus on what's possible instead of on what's wrong,

To focus on hope instead of on fear.

And it asks you to imagine a future,

A brighter future beyond your circumstances and then helps you align yourself so you know how to get there.

I love you all so much.

This is Justin Michael Williams and I'll see you in the next practice.

Bye for now.