Just Visualize Success!

Advocates of "positive thinking" are particularly fond of this piece of advice. But visualizing success, particularly effortless success, is not just unhelpful—it's a great way to set yourself up for failure.

Few motivational gurus understand that there's an awfully big difference between believing you will succeed, and believing you will succeed easily. Realistic optimists believe they will succeed, but also believe they have to make success happen—through things like effort, careful planning, persistence, and choosing the right strategies. They don't shy away from thinking "negative" thoughts, like what obstacles will I face? and how will I deal with them? 

Unrealistic optimists, on the other hand, believe that success will happen to them, if they do lots and lots of visualizing. Recent research shows that this actually (and once again, ironically) serves to drain the very energy we need to reach our goals. People who spend too much time fantasizing about the wonderful future that awaits them don't have enough gas left in the tank to actually get there.

You can cultivate a more realistically optimistic outlook by combining confidence in  your ability to succeed with an honest assessment of the challenges that await you. Don't visualize success—visualize the steps you will take in order to make success happen.