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STRATEGY NUMBER 1 Plan for Your Obstacles
If you've tried manifesting your way towards a goal only to come up empty, it may be time to add some problem solving into the mix. While a sunny outlook may give you all the feels, it tends to make goal-setters overly comfortable and complacent, as if they've already nabbed that corner office or saved up enough money to travel long term, says Dr Gabriele Oettingen, a professor of psychology and author of Rethinking Positive Thinking: inside the New Science of Motivation. (Positive thinking, she says, sets off a body-wide relaxation response, which, while great for heart health, may not be the best strategy for achievement.)
To bring your vision to life, supplement goal setting with some very honest introspection via a process Oettingen calls WOOP Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan. First, identify your wish and your desired outcome. (This is the point at which an always-rosy POV usually stops.) Next, pinpoint the obstacles in your way. The hurdle often appears to be an external factor such as time or money, but once you peel back the layers “it's usually an uncomfortable emotion, like resentment or anxiety,” she explains. For instance, if your objective is to upgrade time-management
