January 24, 2012
A five-minute exercise in mental contrasting
From this research, Halvorson identified the optimal strategy to achieving goals:
First, think positively about what life would be like when you achieve your goal.
Then, think realistically about what it will take to get there.
To achieve this, she recommends a strategy called mental contrasting, designed to bring into focus the rewards of achieving a goal as well what you need to do to achieve it.
Here’s how mental contrasting works:
- On a clean piece of paper, write down a goal and describe what life would look like and the benefits if you achieved that goal.
- Then, write down the obstacles and barriers to achieving that goal.
- Then write down another benefit.
- And another obstacle.
Continue this process until you’re out of benefits and obstacles. Then look at what you’ve written down – and ask yourself whether you’re prepared to truly commit to this goal. One of the advantages of this exercise is that it helps you identify objectives that are unlikely to happen and to abandon unrealistic fantasies. (So much for that call I’ve been waiting for from Julia Roberts – or my chances of winning that Olympic medal.)
The evidence is clear cut – a five-minute investment in mental contrasting leads to better planning, energy and effort – and greater success as a result. Before finalizing your key goals for 2012, run them through this test – and then reassess whether these goals are right for you.
As a side note, Halvorson’s research also shows that the best goals are also difficult and challenging – difficult goals engage the subconscious in ways the easy ones don’t. So if all your goals sail through this process with ease, ask yourself whether you’re challenging yourself sufficiently – and need to set more ambitious objectives for 2012.
Click here to listen to a short interview with Heidi Grant Halvorson.
Dan Richards is a top-rated presenter at advisor conferences and an award winning instructor in the MBA program at the University of Toronto, as well as author of Getting Clients Keeping Clients: The Essential Guide for Tomorrow’s Financial Advisor. To learn more about his conference keynotes and workshops, email .
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