You Were Taught to Visualize Success Wrong

Close your eyes and imagine your perfect future. The money. The freedom. The dream job. The moment when everything finally works out. It feels motivating. But what if imagining success is sometimes doing the opposite of what you think? Psychologist Gabriele Oettingen spent years studying what happens when people imagine their desired future — and discovered an important difference between simply fantasizing about success and mentally preparing for the obstacles standing between you and it. In this video, we look at the psychology behind positive fantasies, mental contrasting, motivation, and why imagining the finish line may not be enough. Because the useful question isn't only: “What will my life look like when I succeed?” It's: “What will try to stop me from getting there?” And that small change can completely change the way you think about your goals. Based on research by Gabriele Oettingen and other researchers studying motivation, goal pursuit, and mental contrasting.