Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: to brainwash yourself to create the life you want
- Angela Beachkofsky
- Feb 19
- 3 min read
Self-Fulfilling Prophecy (SFP) is selective attention. You set your filter to find what you’re looking for (ex. Red car—start to notice all of the red cars. There are NOT more red cars on the road than before but now you begin to notice them more because you are paying attention to all red cars).
It’s what we Think. Focus. Believe about self and the world. Can be HELPFUL OR HURTFUL! 100%--You will find and create whatever it is that your brain is focused on. The Reticular Activating System in the brain (RAS) causes SFP to occur. 11 million bits of information come in and only about 150 to 200 bits of information come into our mind. The RAS filters this information for you to what is RELEVANT based on what you tell it IS relevant. It ignores information that contradicts what you tell it is relevant.
Your beliefs and expectation influence you in a way that cause those beliefs to come true. The RAS ignores info that contradicts our belief system.
This RAS helps you selectively notice the things that you want to see. Selective focus. You get what you are expecting.
For example, if I believe I am not a good public speaker. I will focus on my signs of nervousness, etc. However, if I believe I AM a good speaker, my RAS will focus on how the crowd positively responds, seems interested, etc.
For example, wife cheats on husband. Next relationship, he becomes overbearing and paranoid and then… She leaves him which reinforces his thoughts that he cannot trust women/he is not loveable/etc.Abracadabra is a Hebrew word that means, “As I speak, I create.” What I think, I bring into existence.
With your RAS, you are shaping your mind-- your expectations about a situation cause that to happen. My expectations change my behavior. This CAUSES the outcome I was expecting to happen. In other words, you make your expectations come true.
You have to set your Reticular Activating System every morning for what you want.
1: Pen and paper. Write down what it is that you want in this world. What do I need to believe in order to make this happen? What do I need to see in myself in order to make this happen? Be as clear as you possibly can about this.
2: Create a phrase/affirmation that lines up with whatever you want. Wake up in the morning and set your GPS for how you want to feel today. Use breath work and smile while you are holding your breath. This totally sounds corny but it actually creates changes in the brain. The muscles in your face actually influence your feelings and your hormones. That’s why you feel better when you! Smile! 3-Visualize it! Train your RAS to recognize people, places, things, opportunities, resources that are around you that will help you line up with your goals! The process works because you are creating a mental image that aligns with your goals. Then your RAS uses this to filter information that prioritizes relevant information. Your brain will filter out anything that does not align with that goal. Your thoughts create your reality. If you have a negative internal dialogue, you are constantly creating these things that we do not want. If you think you are bad at math, you will unconsciously focus more on when you failed, on the challenges around math, etc. Every mistake that you make is going to be highlighted and then reinforce that you ARE bad at math. IF you believe/think, “I am good at math,” your RAS will tune in to signs of improvement which then reinforces your belief that you can get better!
So remember, PRACTICE. Start your morning off TRAINING that RAS!
STUDY 1968: Group of teachers. Told that all of their 30 students were given IQ tests; 5 of them were on the verge of a growth spurt (“They are about to get smarter.”). THIS WAS A LIE—they were randomly chosen. After one year, those 5 students for each of the teachers in the study showed more of an increase than the rest of the 25 other ones. This was not due to the innate ability of the child but of the teacher’s belief/expectations in the child. Teachers focused on them more—invested more time, challenged them a little more, etc.
Soooooooooooo…..
1: Become more self-aware (AKA DBT lovers…Mindfulness). Write down your beliefs about yourself
2: Challenge your negative beliefs about yourself, others, and the world. Challenge with logic and evidence. Your RAS will filter (It may STOP filtering if you tell it to).
3: Set your internal GPS everyday. Be clear on how you want to think/feel. Breath work/meditate/feel how you want to feel/affirmation on what you want to think/feel.
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