If you’ve been reading this blog for a while you know that I am not a fan of the cult of mindless positive thinking.
Here and on Recovering Yogi, which I co-founded with two fellow refugees from the yoga world, I have often written or published pieces about what a load of hooey I think The Secret is and how the word “manifest” gives me the crawls. So I was very excited when my creative ally Vanessa sent me a link to an article on 99u.com called “The Power of Negative Thinking,” by Christian Jarrett.
As an alternative to mindless positive thinking—which Jarrett observes has actually proven detrimental to achieving goals in some studies—he proposes a little something called “mental contrasting,” which involves a medley of imagining your goals achieved and paying attention to the obstacles that lie in your path to achieve them. It’s called “thinking realistically,” and it’s manifestation for smart people.
The way mental contrasting works is that you name a realistic goal and then write down three benefits of achieving this goal as well as three things standing in your way of success. I thought I’d have a go of it.
GOAL:
To get an A in the grammar class I’m taking through UC Berkeley extension. I know this might seem like low-hanging fruit for someone who is already a professional writer and editor, but I’ll tell you guys a secret: I just learned the difference between a past participle and present participle last week. Shit is not for wusses.
BENEFITS:
- If I get an A, I will feel excellent and smart.
- If I learn everything, I will be a better editor.
- If I can put “got straight As in editing class” on my resume, I’ll be stronger professionally.
OBSTACLES:
- It’s motherfucking hard. Seriously.
- Turns out I may be more “creatively smart” than “memorization smart.” Let’s just say I never could have made it through med school.
- I’m pretty sure the other students in this class are all secretly brilliant housewives who spend 7 days a week perfecting their skills while I’m actually working.
Now, warning:
Note the word “contrasting” in mental contrasting. It’s not about being negative or cynical. It’s about looking at a situation clearly and seeing it for what it is so one can evaluate whether to pour energy into it. Mental contrasting “guards against complacency,” and lord knows we could all use a little more of that.
