The RAS plays a crucial role in goal-setting by helping us focus more effectively on what we seek to accomplish by via selective filtering. Except for the olfactory system, it serves as a barrier between our environment and our senses, bridging the gap between our unconscious and conscious mind, working behind the scenes to sort and organize environmental data in response to our surroundings.

We've all had experiences of thinking about something specific, like buying a new car, and then all of a sudden, we start seeing that specific car everywhere. While it may seem magical and surreal at the time, this phenomenon is a result of selective attention.

The flip side of this would be confirmation bias, a shortcut that our minds take to support our pre-existing beliefs. Often bombarded with information, humans are very susceptible to this bias because it's an efficient way to process information so we are reassured that each time we see that car, it is further proof of our impression that the car is everywhere.

When it comes to our self-esteem, our beliefs about who we are, which we've received from our childhood and other critical moments in life, are often projected into the real world as self-fulfilling prophecies. Our predetermined beliefs about ourselves run deep and have a profound influence on whether things that align with our expected results, regardless of whether they are positive or negative.

For example, a person with low self-esteem will typically not pursue things they think are too big for them. As a result, these people are most likely to settle with less desirable choices or circumstances.

In contrast, people who are driven, confident, and goal-oriented will persistently pursue new opportunities even though they might seem impossible at the moment. These individuals have trained their RAS to filter out the noise and will be able to better focus on opportunities as they present themselves. Roman philosopher Seneca once said, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity," and when our filtering system is working correctly, our propensity to recognize opportunity is heightened.

The RAS conditions us to repeat our beliefs, thoughts, emotional patterns, and subconscious coping mechanisms, and, often, we do not realize this, but we behave according to the thoughts and ideas that we feed our RAS. It's a bit similar to training a data set in machine learning. 

As such, its vital to become conscious of our thoughts and beliefs to better understanding the influence they have on on our RAS because these thoughts and beliefs affect our actions and, therefore, all areas of our lives—relationships, career, health, wealth, and spirituality. Thus, while the RAS is the key to increasing our motivation, without conscious awareness of how this part of the brain works, it can function against our aspirations.

The old saying goes, "If there is a will, there is a way." We can define "will" as motivation and the capacity to see the goal through. On the other hand, we can define "way" as our cognition, skills, and the ability to plan and execute. Both are equally important to accomplish goals.

Will is a result of the brain's dopamine reinforcement learning system, which is directly related to motivation. The higher the value you place on the goal, the more likely it is that you will achieve it. For example, if you want to finish school, the value you place on education, self-development, and discipline have a direct impact on whether you complete the degree on your own time.

In neuroscience, "the way" is a product of executive function, higher-level cognitive skills, and capacities that promote functioning optimally. As a result, it exerts effort, operates consciously, and is engaged when trying new things. It is driven primarily by the prefrontal cortex.

There is a consensus in the scientific community that accountability, commitment, and writing down one's goals are the deciding factors for accomplishing a goal.

In 2015, Dr. Gail Matthews, a Psychology professor, set out to establish the power of goal-setting. She recruited 267 people from all walks of life to study goal achievement, dividing everybody into five sub-groups.

The commonality among the different groups was to think about their monthly goals and rate each goal according to 5 factors.

George T. Doran coined the term "SMART goal" in the November 1981 issue of Management Review and it has since been widely used to guide people in writing and setting goals. SMART Goals, in essence, provide a clear sense of focus, clarity, and direction.

"SMART" is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely.

Setting goals gives us a sense of direction, drive, and purpose. As a result, by setting well-defined goals, you can keep an eye on your target and better focus on how to achieve your goal within the time frame specified. You can also improve your chances of reaching your objectives in this manner.

To put this into practice, keep a journal in which you write down your goals and feelings about them. Then, review your goals on a daily basis, and you should begin noticing when relevant information in the environment is present related to accompilishing your goals.

Visualization improves the likelihood of achieving a goal. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, visualization is “the act of visualizing something or someone” or “forming a picture of it in your mind”. It’s almost like looking through a particular lens, your unconsciousness, your imagination, your deepest desires, and seeing your life unfold within your inner eye.

There are a multitude of visualization techniques, but consensus is that PETTLEP is considered most effective and is currently most prominent. The acronym indicates that physical, environment, task, timing, learning, emotional, and perspective relevant aspects of the imagery all need to be aligned with the aspects of the actual activity.