Gabriele Oettingen and her colleagues have found that the imagery we visualize in our mind may slow down the realization of our wishes. For example, you may have wanted to have your book published for a long time. When you imagine yourself holding the bestseller and accepting an award for your literary success, you experience success and achieve your goal in your mind. This can have a relaxing effect. As a result, we put forth less energy and effort that is required to make your wishes a reality.

Thanks to this discovery of scientists, a tool called WOOP appeared. It stands for “wish, outcome, obstacle, plan.” We’ve already described the first 2 elements of this tool (making a wish and the visualization of the result) above. By thinking over the obstacles you’ll have to face on the way to your wish, a connection is established, linking the desired future with reality.

Think about the obstacles standing in the way of realizing your wish. This can be not only external reasons but also internal resistance (for example, fear of change or a feeling of guilt toward loved ones for spending time on achieving your personal goals). It’s important to uncover the belief, behavior, or emotion that’s holding you back.

Comments to article «How to Make Your New Year’s Wishes Come True»