Before we all start questioning what I’ve been off smoking recently or whether my blog has been hacked, let me assure you that it is actually me saying a controlled amount of negative thinking is good for you!
Let me also say this though… this isn’t about encouraging pessimism or providing a pass to wallow in negativity, absolutely not. I will always advocate optimism and adopting a positive growth mindset. However, thinking negatively – in the manner I’m about to share with you – is actually a very smart technique that will more likely than not lead to positive results.
Why isn’t positive thinking alone enough?
In her book, Rethinking Positive Thinking*, Gabriele Oettinger, (a Professor of Psych at NYU) draws on her 20-years of research into the science of motivation and concludes that whilst positive thinking can be beneficial, on its own, it isn’t enough to make our pursuits successful. By only thinking positively our minds believe we’ve already achieved our desires which saps our energy, reduces our effort and impedes the work required.
So what do we need to do?
Whilst we do need to have positive aspirations, it’s critical to combine them with a good grasp on reality. Which predominantly means acknowledging internal obstacles (I’ll come back to this in a moment) and planning how we will overcome them.
Related: The path to self-acceptance – How to start accepting yourself more
Getting real with yourself
It’s been argued that if an action is feasible, only an internal obstacle can hold us back from completing it.
I’m a massive procrastinator (or was, I’m a bit better now) and often even though I really want something, self-doubt inevitably creeps in and I’ll start to hold myself back. No matter how positive my thinking has been, or how much the stars align, this internal block eventually gets me each time. So part of the reason negative thinking is good is it allows me to recognise honestly where I might falter.
It’s part of a process known as mental contrasting…
[Mental Contrasting] A visualisation technique involving first thinking of a positive future outcome, followed by thinking of obstacles that will prevent success.
Have you ever spent time positively indulging in a dream before switching to dwelling on it? First, you feel completely excited then doubt sets in. Perhaps it has stopped you from pursuing your dream any further?
Don’t lose hope! When done in a structured way, this becomes a helpful practice to work out the internal factors holding you back. And – side note – for mental contrasting to be purposeful & effective it does need to be combined with creating plans of how you will overcome any obstacles you identify.
This is where WOOP comes in!
WOOP is a science-based mental strategy that combines the practices mentioned above to help you fulfil your wishes whilst guiding and amending your behaviours in more helpful ways.
WOOPing (sounds quite like an over-eager cheerleader, doesn’t it!) can help you achieve success in key areas of your life. Whether that be nurturing relationships, doing better in your career or becoming healthier.
Through completing the WOOP technique we strengthen our mental association, increase our energy levels and ultimately perform better.
How do you WOOP?
WOOP takes a maximum of 5-minutes to complete on your own. Try to be somewhere with minimal distractions – although as you get more practised at this you can do it virtually anywhere.
- First, think of something you want to achieve – ask yourself, ‘What is my dearest wish?’ Visualise it. Try to formulate it into a short sentence in your mind.
- Next, think about the best possible outcome of you achieving your wish – it may be an emotion or an exact result. Really let your mind indulge in this part, let yourself feel good about it.
- Then switch gears, ask yourself, ‘What will hold me back from achieving this? What could stop me?’ Is it self-doubt? Or procrastination? Maybe an unhealthy urge? Or something someone once said? Dig deep on it, be honest with yourself.
- Finally taking into account the obstacles you identify, ask yourself, ‘What can I do to overcome them?‘ Think about when & where you expect to encounter them. Formulate an if/then plan for each obstacle.
[IF/THEN Plan] A simple way to implement your goal intentions developed by Professor Peter Gollwitzer at NYU. Firstly, identity your obstacle, then formulate a plan to overcome the obstacle. The basic structure is this – IF {situation} THEN I will {behaviour} For example IF I feel anxious THEN I will take a mindful moment with some grounding breaths. Or IF I get distracted by my phone, THEN I will place my phone out of sight.
Admittedly WOOP does take mental effort but as I’ve said it works by triggering automatic processes that help you push through. In effect, it trains you to recognise the obstacles as they appear which then alerts the already created link in your brain that says oh there’s the obstacle, this is what I need to do now.
To help you, I’ve created a worksheet which is designed as a prompt to capture your thoughts & plans as you work with the WOOP technique.
Granted, for some, this technique might sound counter-intuitive
Or even slightly crazy – almost as crazy as the thought of me ever saying negative thinking is good for you, but Oettinger has the studies to back it up. You can view them all here.
It’s also OK if you don’t want to refer to this as ‘negative thinking’. ‘Obstacle identification’ works just as well! All that really matters is to recognise that utilising a purposeful amount of this type of thinking will be helpful in adding energy, motivation and effective solutions to the pursuit of your goals.
*Affiliate links: Find out more here
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So what do you think? Does this go against what you believe about positive thinking/manifesting/Law of Attraction or do you agree that an element of negative based thinking is beneficial to propel you forward? Have you tried WOOP before? Or if you’re new to WOOP, is it a technique you think you’ll experiment with? Whatever you’d like to say – or ask! – just leave a comment in the box below. I’m happy to help and I always love to hear from you!
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Much wisdom in this article, combined with practical strategies. Positive realism is so important to grasp. Thank you.
I love this and am definitely up for a bit of wooping! (I’m also going to steal it to use with coaching clients 😉)
So pleased you like it! I’d recommend watching Gabriele speak about it – there are quite a few videos on YouTube that you might find useful if you’re going to use it in your coaching xx
Thank you! And thank you for reading x
This is Amazing. Great post mama. Thank you for sharing.
So pleased you liked it! Thanks for reading & your kind words xx
Funny – I consider myself an optimist too but Jamie will say that he’s a realist and I’m a dreamer – but I’m happy dreaming and it’s good for aiming for the stars isn’t it?! Loving the WOOP workshop – I’m going to give it a go!
I’m completely with you – the bigger the dream the better! For me, it’s been interesting to discover a way to not get in my own way if that makes sense? To not just try to brush that bit of me under the carpet but to be honest with myself & address it. It’s been more of a hinderance than perhaps I realised. I really hope you find the worksheet helpful – thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts! x
Thanks Alex! xxx
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This was so interesting to read because admitting it’s okay to think negatively (sometimes) isn’t really talked about. Your WOOP worksheet is great too!
https://www.thegutchoice.com
Thanks Gemma I appreciate that xx
You’re welcome! xx
My answer to what holds me back is always the same – ME and my ability to be easily distracted!
That’s the answer for a lot of us, so you’re not on your own on that one! Give the if/then plans a try and see how you get on you might be pleasantly surprised how effective they are x
I will!
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