Our five-year-old grandson, Luke, and his friend Everett play a game called Cheesy-Weezy. When riding in the car, they’re on the hunt for yellow vehicles. The first person to spot one and yell ”Cheesy-Weezy” gets a point. The game continues until the destination is reached or until one of three things occurs. 1) The adult in the car becomes exasperated by the cries of “Cheesy-Weezy”, 2) intense arguing ensues over who yelled Cheesy-Weezy first, or 3) full-fledged warfare breaks out over who has accumulated the most points.
If you’ve never played Cheesy-Weezy, I dare you to try it. You’ll be shocked at the number of yellow vehicles you’ll see. And once you start looking for yellow vehicles, you’ll see them everywhere!
Believe it or not, there’s a scientific basis for Cheesy-Wheezy. It’s called the Reticular Activating System (RAS), a bundle of nerves in your brainstem that filters out information so that the important stuff—i.e., what you’re looking for – is top of the mind. And the “important stuff” is determined by what you focus on.
In his book The Happiness Advantage (which I highly recommend), Shawn Achor includes an entire chapter on what he calls the Tetris Effect. As you may know, Tetris is a video game in which four kinds of shapes fall from the top of the screen. The player moves or rotates the shapes before they hit the bottom of the screen. The point of the game is to arrange the falling shapes in a way that creates as many unbroken lines as possible. While it may not sound too interesting, Tetris is addictive and can cause those who play for extended periods of time to see falling shapes and possible configurations everywhere. It’s the RAS at work.
What are you focusing on? Is your focus on the positive things in your life and work or are you stuck in negativity? If you want to see your circumstances from a more optimistic, upbeat, affirming point of view, Achor suggests you try the “three good things” exercise. At the end of each day, write down three good things that happened that day. Your brain’s RAS will scan the files and come up with those positive experiences. Keep it up for a month and see how the practice changes your attitude and your outlook.
Want to find new customers? Great employees? Business opportunities? Like-minded people? Good news? Plug in your RAS radar. I guarantee you’ll find what you’re seeking.
When you play Cheesy-Weezy…and I know you will…you’ll discover that yellow vehicles are everywhere — as are positive people, events, prospects, and circumstances. Trust me, your RAS is at work, and you’ll find what you’re looking for. So, what’s your Cheesy-Weezy for today? Focus on it, and it will show up.
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