5 reasons to expense Mind Tools Learn more
Mind Tools annual discount
20% off your first year of Mind Tools
Don’t be bound by training course schedules. Our on-demand e-learning resources let you learn at your own pace, fitting seamlessly into your busy workday. Join today and save with our limited time offer!
Get 20% off
Mind Tools explore annual discount
20% off your first year of Mind Tools
Don’t be bound by training course schedules. Our on-demand e-learning resources let you learn at your own pace, fitting seamlessly into your busy workday. Join today and save with our limited time offer!
Get 20% off
MAIN MENU

Sign-up to our newsletter

Subscribing to the Mind Tools newsletter will keep you up-to-date with our latest updates and newest resources.

Close
Working on it...
Successfully subscribed to the newsletter
Sorry, something went wrong
November 10, 2014

Unblock Your Dreams

Rachel Salaman

, ,

Share this post:
©©GettyImages/PhotoShackPhotography

Gabriele-Oettingen_200x250I’ve always admired the work of positive psychologist Martin Seligman. His effective techniques are widely used by individuals and organizations, and I particularly like his work on optimism.

I was therefore intrigued to discover a new take on positive thinking by Gabriele Oettingen, one of Seligman’s former colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania.

Now a psychology professor at New York University and the University of Hamburg, Oettingen's research has shown that dreaming just about the fulfillment of your wishes is more likely to hold you back than help you to achieve your wish.

According to Oettingen, we need more than just the dream; we need "mental contrasting," by which she means visualizing the obstacles that stand in the way of achieving it. Naming the hurdles, she says, helps us to find a way over them.

In her new book, “Rethinking Positive Thinking,” she offers a four-step process called WOOP, which stands for Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, and Plan. In this clip from our Expert Interview with Oettingen, she explains how it works.

Listen to the full interview ¦ Install Flash Player.

Question: How do you set about realizing your dreams, and how far does positive thinking take you on that journey? Let us know below!

Share this post:

3 comments on “Unblock Your Dreams”

  1. Great new approach to dreaming the dream, visualizing it and then thinking they will just happen. The idea of actually spotting some of the obstacles along the way and doing something about it, is a refreshing take to just pure positive thinking. I like it!

  2. I also like the point of being prepared for obstables. Maybe if I was more prepared for obstacles, seeing them and deciding how I will get past them if they do appear, I would have reached certain goals quicker. And I would actually have reached others!! Great point to take with me for the new year and its goals.

  3. Hi Rebel and Bree,
    Indeed anticipating potential obstacles and making a plan as to how you might overcome them helps accelerate actually achieving your dream. Since you know in advance how you might deal with situation, you are prepared in the event that they do happen. Often times, people do not do this preparation and when something unexpected happens, it paralyzes them and they are stuck for a bit before figuring out a way to either get over or around the obstacle!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Offer ends soon - save on Annual and 3-Year memberships

Don’t be bound by training course schedules. Our on-demand e-learning resources let you learn at your own pace, fitting seamlessly into your busy workday. Don't miss out on 20% off your first year of Mind Tools. Ends March 31.
Get 20% off

You may also like...

November 30, 2023

Supporting Neurodiversity at Work: Our Expert Interview With Ed Thompson 

Creating work environments that support varying needs and preferences will make neurodivergent employees – and all of us – more comfortable and productive.  

,

November 6, 2023

What's Your Story?

"A story never ends because it changes who we are, how we think, what we do. Its threads and impact continue to grow in ways we know, and don't know." - Yolandé Conradie

, ,

October 26, 2023

The Centennial Mindset: My Expert Interview With Alex Hill

“Centennial” organizations deliver benefits for communities and society as a whole, as well as for themselves.

,

© Mind Tools Ltd 2024. All rights reserved. "Mind Tools" is a registered trademark of Mind Tools Ltd.
linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram