Pivotal moments can be disconcerting. You know change is imminent in your life, but you aren’t sure how it’s going to work out.
“Think positively,” all the motivational gurus and speakers say, “Envision yourself achieving your goals.”
But the truth is, thinking positively can backfire on you. Seriously. Research by Dr. Gabriele Oettingen, a psychologist at New York University, says that the better you are at visualizing your goals, the less likely you are to achieve them.
That’s a shocker—and so opposite of what the gurus tell you.
Visualization causes your brain to relax; it assumes the hard work has already been done. As a result, you lose focus and clarity, making it much harder to reach your goals.
Instead, Dr. Oettingen discovered that “mental contrasting” is far more effective than positive thinking alone. Essentially, that means that you’re visualizing two things at once:
1. How great it will be to (fill in your goal)
2. All the obstacles that stand in the way of achieving that goal
Identifying the obstacles is crucial to your success. But sometimes you just don’t know enough to do that.
Personally, I am eternally grateful for a SCORE volunteer I met with when I had an idea for a company I wanted to start. I’d researched the idea. I’d written a business plan. I was gung-ho. I’d roped some friends into doing it with me.
We were ready to start the endeavor... that is, until we met with him.
He looked at the plan, said it was a good idea, and thought it could make it work. We beamed with pride.
Then he asked: “Which one of you will be doing the selling?”
I was appalled. I detested salespeople. Then I blurted out, “I thought you said it was a good idea?”
“It is, Jill,” he said. “But somebody has to sell it.”
It wasn’t advice I wanted to hear. But deep inside, I understood that we would fail unless one of us could master that skill.
And, since I was the driving force, it had to be me. (Note: That’s how I got into sales.)
That’s why it’s essential to take time to think about what could go wrong. Review your plan or idea to determine what’s missing. Take a stab at identifying the mistakes you might inadvertently make.
You may also want to consult with others who have followed a similar path. Ask them questions like:
- “What am I missing?”
- “What obstacles did you encounter?”
- “What didn’t you anticipate?”
Then figure out how you might handle these potential negative situations. It could take some time to do this, but it’s worth it.
The incredible power of negative thinking prevents epic failures. And when combined with the great feeling you’ll experience upon accomplishing your goal, you’ll be ready to tackle the tasks and activities necessary to maximize your success.
