Summary

The article discusses the importance of having a clear purpose in life and how it affects our brain's ability to focus and filter information through the Reticular Activating System (RAS).

Abstract

The author reflects on the significance of life purpose by sharing a personal anecdote about a life-changing event that left them without direction. They introduce a simple test to demonstrate how the brain's Reticular Activating System (RAS) filters information based on our focus and goals. The test involves observing objects of a specific color in a room, which illustrates that our brains prioritize information aligned with our interests and purpose. The article emphasizes that clarity of purpose enables the RAS to highlight relevant opportunities and information, suggesting that a strong sense of purpose can lead to greater success and fulfillment. The author concludes by sharing their current efforts to redefine their purpose through reading, spending time with family, and engaging in introspection.

Opinions

The author believes self-awareness of one's purpose is crucial for personal success and that individuals themselves, rather than external sources, are the best judges of their own purpose.
The article suggests that without a clear purpose, individuals may feel disengaged and uninterested in life, as the RAS will not have a clear directive to filter information effectively.
It is implied that the RAS plays a key role in our perception of the world, influencing our focus, and even our fight-flight-freeze response.
The author posits that our brains are naturally attuned to notice things that are important to us personally, which can be observed in our daily lives, such as noticing cars or dogs similar to our own.
The article conveys the opinion that our brains can be intentionally set to seek out opportunities and answers aligned with our goals, effectively working as a subconscious filter for relevant information.
The author expresses a personal journey of rediscovery and the active steps they are taking to find a new sense of purpose after a significant life event.

This Remarkable Thing Your Brain Does When You Have Purpose in Your Life

A simple test to prove it works

Who the hell am I to be telling anyone about having a purpose in their life?

I’ll tell you — I’m the last person.

Do you know who should be telling you?

You. That’s who.

You do know what your purpose in life is — don’t you?

It happened again

I was on the holiday of a lifetime. I was having so many new experiences. Every day was different. Every day was more fascinating and more exciting than the last.

Bang!

One phone call and my world collapsed.

For the last two weeks, I have wandered this earth not knowing what my purpose is — what’s the point?

I’ve had a vague notion I should be doing something. But I’m not compelled. Not engaged. Not interested. Not in the mood. Not here.

Staring at a blank space.

Then I remembered

This simple test. How it helped me before. How it proved itself. How I know for sure that having a purpose in life is so vitally important for our success.

It’s a simple test.

You can skip it, skim it, or skelp it into orbit — but if you do you will miss the point.

Stop reading for ten or twenty seconds.
Turn your chair around and look at your room.
Memorise the position of anything that is black in colour — and do that before reading on.

Okay. You are either reading on without having tried it or you have carried out the test and are now eager to see where this is going.

In a moment, close your eyes.
Picture your room.
How many objects can you remember that are yellow or red?

Most people will find this a difficult task. You will have searched your room for black objects and because that is your purpose, that is what your brain has focused on.

Scientists call this our Reticular Activating System (RAS). This is responsible for our wakefulness, our ability to focus, our fight-flight-freeze response, and how we ultimately perceive the world.

Although your eyes have passed over all objects in the room your brain stuck to the task of looking for black objects. It ignored the unimportant stuff.

If you have a purpose, your brain automatically filters out unnecessary information so the important stuff gets through. This varies for everyone, it’s personal. Your brain is geared towards noticing what is important to you.

If you own a red sports car, you notice every red sports car that passes. If you ride around in a beat-up truck with your dog.

You aren’t going to notice a red sports car, but you will pay attention to the dog on the footpath that is the same breed as yours. That is what is important to you.

There is too much information out there for our brains to notice everything. So your RAS filters out the background noise and highlights what is useful and important.

When you read the newspaper, you skim almost everything until your attention is taken by something relevant to you: A share you own has gone up in price, the team you support is sacking its manager, the laptop you want is on sale.

Your brain dutifully spots all the information you have deemed important. It works in the background: The answer to the crossword clue suddenly comes to you when you are doing a mundane chore.

Set your brain on course to find the right answers or the right opportunities and your RAS will help you spot these when they come along. If you have a strong purpose in life, everything relevant to that purpose will pop into your consciousness like magic.

To use your brain to your advantage you need clarity of purpose. It will assist you in spotting all the opportunities you deserve, but only if you are clear about what you want. You have to set it in action.

Untying the knot in your heart

I’m putting my energy into identifying my new purpose. I have stopped writing — what do you mean you didn’t notice?

I’m reading. I’m meeting family and spending time with them. I’m talking to friends. I’m walking my dog further. I’m taking my time. Savouring the important stuff. And I’m thinking.

I’m building my new purpose.