Key takeaways
- Positive fantasies about an outcome can reduce the energy to pursue it.
- Mental contrasting pairs the dream with the obstacle in the way.
- WOOP (Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan) turns that into a five-minute habit.
Manifesting promises that if you picture the outcome clearly enough, it will come to you. Picture the promotion, the savings balance, the dream flat. It feels good. The question is whether it helps.
What the research found
Psychologist Gabriele Oettingen has studied positive thinking for decades. In one early study, women in a weight-loss programme who held more positive fantasies about their success lost less weight than women whose fantasies were more mixed. Similar patterns appeared in studies of graduates looking for jobs and students with crushes: the more people indulged in rosy daydreams, the less effort they tended to put in.
One explanation is that vividly imagining success gives you a small taste of having achieved it. Your mind relaxes, as though the work is done.
Mental contrasting
Oettingen found that a different approach worked better. First imagine the outcome you want. Then imagine, just as clearly, the main obstacle inside you that stands in the way. That contrast between where you are and where you want to be creates energy to act, as long as the goal is realistic.
She and colleague Peter Gollwitzer combined it with implementation intentions, “if X happens, I will do Y” plans, into a method called WOOP.
WOOP in five minutes
- Wish: “I want to have an emergency fund of three months’ expenses.”
- Outcome: “I would stop panicking every time my phone bill arrives.”
- Obstacle: “I spend on takeaway when I am tired after work.”
- Plan: “If I get home tired, then I will eat the frozen meal I prepped on Sunday and move the money I saved.”
Applying it to money goals
For financial goals, the obstacle is often a number you have not looked at. Before you manifest a million, run the maths. Our Millionaire Age Calculator shows when you would really hit your target and the monthly amount needed to get there sooner. Then make that monthly number your plan.
For career goals, try the Salary Expectation Reality Check before your next review, so your ask is ambitious and defensible.
Keep dreaming. Just make sure the dream comes with a plan.
Try it: When Will I Be a Millionaire? Calculator
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