Visualize Success if You Want to Fail(forbes.com)
forbes.com
Visualize Success if You Want to Fail
http://www.forbes.com/sites/daviddisalvo/2011/06/08/visualize-success-if-you-want-to-fail/
12 comments
Yes,
Scanning the article and as many of the links as I could for free, the only reference I could find to what they meant by "energy" was a comment that they meant higher heart-rate.
I think it is very plausible that someone visualizing success would experience a lower heart beat. The question is how much evidence is there that one can assume a higher heart rate ipso facto results in a greater likelihood of accomplishing a given task.
Edit: and that's a big question indeed, quite possibly implying their whole framework was meaningless...
Scanning the article and as many of the links as I could for free, the only reference I could find to what they meant by "energy" was a comment that they meant higher heart-rate.
I think it is very plausible that someone visualizing success would experience a lower heart beat. The question is how much evidence is there that one can assume a higher heart rate ipso facto results in a greater likelihood of accomplishing a given task.
Edit: and that's a big question indeed, quite possibly implying their whole framework was meaningless...
So despite the oversimplified title, the value of this article for me lies in the last two paragraphs; which speak to me off a balance between practicing 'critical visualization' when we need to achieve and 'positive fantasy mode' when we need to reduce stress and anxiety. Both of these activities being useful to success.
I sometimes wonder why some people tend to feel the need to come down hard on one extreme or the other of an issue when so often in my experience the optimal path tends to be the middle road. I think it's because extremes are easier to grasp and seem more definite, more solid. But I also think this can be an indication of lazy thinking and should be called out more often.
I sometimes wonder why some people tend to feel the need to come down hard on one extreme or the other of an issue when so often in my experience the optimal path tends to be the middle road. I think it's because extremes are easier to grasp and seem more definite, more solid. But I also think this can be an indication of lazy thinking and should be called out more often.
Tim Ferriss spoke about an old Stoic method of "Negative Visualization" that is much more useful[1]. It helps you to avoid fear of failure by visualizing the worst case scenario.
[1] http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2009/06/10/the-practica...
[1] http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2009/06/10/the-practica...
The forthcoming book from the same author, What Makes Your Brain Happy and Why You Should Do the Opposite (which is what led to the submitted article), also looks practical for HN readers.
http://www.amazon.com/Makes-Brain-Happy-Should-Opposite/dp/1...
http://www.amazon.com/Makes-Brain-Happy-Should-Opposite/dp/1...
Seems the key is timing. Right before taking a free throw, the visualization helps. No benefit to worrying about misses. Three months into a six month development? Then it's better staying up late thinking of the competition. Save the champagne for later.
I'm not much of a self help guru, but positive visualization was often taught to me in sports growing up. In these cases, it would seem the lower blood pressure and heart rate would enhance focus and improve coordination. What matters is how well you perform in actuality.
In neither sports nor work, nobody celebrates visualizing success over actual success, people celebrate tangible accomplishments. However if you're not motivated to achieve certain goals in the first place, positive visualization obviously won't change that, it only gives you that warm fuzzy feeling this article describes.
In neither sports nor work, nobody celebrates visualizing success over actual success, people celebrate tangible accomplishments. However if you're not motivated to achieve certain goals in the first place, positive visualization obviously won't change that, it only gives you that warm fuzzy feeling this article describes.
I believe a common understanding of "visualizing goals" and the one the researchers are talking about are two different things. The purpose of visualizing goals is twofold:
1. Putting your mind on the job of completing the goal. Once this is done, the mind subconsciously spends time trying to figure out how to complete the goal.
2. Motivating oneself to complete a goal by energizing oneself (e.g. to endure working long hours at your startup, you visualize yourself succeeding through various efforts -- this in turn energizes you.)
The water glass and thirst example does not require either of these. 1. Getting a glass of water is not a complex task your mind has to spend time pondering, so why would it; 2. Special motivation techniques are not required to quench thirst -- thirst is always enough motivation since it satisfies a basic human need.
If instead you're seeking to accomplish a complex goal(e.g. endure working long hours at your startup), and something I don't believe their study is talking about, is the process of visualizing success to energize oneself.
Is this article arguing that visualization of goals in this latter case does not work? What's a good alternative? It's merely a method of motivating oneself in times of being unmotivated.
1. Putting your mind on the job of completing the goal. Once this is done, the mind subconsciously spends time trying to figure out how to complete the goal.
2. Motivating oneself to complete a goal by energizing oneself (e.g. to endure working long hours at your startup, you visualize yourself succeeding through various efforts -- this in turn energizes you.)
The water glass and thirst example does not require either of these. 1. Getting a glass of water is not a complex task your mind has to spend time pondering, so why would it; 2. Special motivation techniques are not required to quench thirst -- thirst is always enough motivation since it satisfies a basic human need.
If instead you're seeking to accomplish a complex goal(e.g. endure working long hours at your startup), and something I don't believe their study is talking about, is the process of visualizing success to energize oneself.
Is this article arguing that visualization of goals in this latter case does not work? What's a good alternative? It's merely a method of motivating oneself in times of being unmotivated.
They're talking about visualizing success not goals. Like The Secret, where you pretend like you already completed your goal of killing 3 people in a sweat lodge and then it will happen for real.
Good point -- however my comment still stands for the most part. It depends on the purpose of you visualizing success. Visualizing yourself accomplishing something as simple as quenching thirst is completely missing the point IMHO (unless you believe in the magical "The Secret" silliness), per my previous argument.
Visualizing yourself accomplishing greater things serves multiple purposes:
1. Energizes oneself in the current moment.
2. Opens your mind to the possibilities of accomplishing greater things. i.e. If you think small, thinking of accomplishing big things will make you believe you can, and hence have greater capacity and motivation to bring it to fruition.
3. Get your subconscious mind started on pondering how to achieve that success.
#3 here may actually relate to the article. There may be two opposing factors at work -- on one end your mind ponders how to achieve the success, on the other hand your mind feels satisfied already, which prevents you from taking action and consciously looking further into achieving the success. Which is stronger? In the study it appears the latter is in the cases tested. However, I highly doubt a standard answer can be derived from a few limited cases. I would think there are just too many factors.
Visualizing yourself accomplishing greater things serves multiple purposes:
1. Energizes oneself in the current moment.
2. Opens your mind to the possibilities of accomplishing greater things. i.e. If you think small, thinking of accomplishing big things will make you believe you can, and hence have greater capacity and motivation to bring it to fruition.
3. Get your subconscious mind started on pondering how to achieve that success.
#3 here may actually relate to the article. There may be two opposing factors at work -- on one end your mind ponders how to achieve the success, on the other hand your mind feels satisfied already, which prevents you from taking action and consciously looking further into achieving the success. Which is stronger? In the study it appears the latter is in the cases tested. However, I highly doubt a standard answer can be derived from a few limited cases. I would think there are just too many factors.
the quoted study seems to be specifically about visualizing attainment of a goal as opposed to successful execution of some skill, which is the context that I'm familiar with these visualization techniques being useful (ie making free-throws rather than winning a trophy).
Visualizing success also isn't positive if you aren't prepared for the emotional downfall when you don't get that success... it's like your hopes are boosted to such high levels that anything but success will lead to depression
Victor Frankl, IIRC, covers this in his book Man's Search For Meaning. Frankl was a Viennese psychiatrist who wrote of his concentration camp experiences. One of these concerned a prisoner who was positive that the war would end (and the prisoners would be liberated) on a specific date. The date came and went. The prisoner went with it, dying shortly afterward. The book is a fascinating read about motivations and inner strength.
I've been pretty skeptical myself of the whole "positive visualization" crowd and its various forms. Say, "neuro-linguistic programming".
I've been pretty skeptical myself of the whole "positive visualization" crowd and its various forms. Say, "neuro-linguistic programming".
fta: During the course of four experiments, Kappes and Oettingen demonstrated that conjuring positive fantasies of success drains the energy out of ambition.
Completely overstated. What they actually demonstrated is that on their set of selected people, conjuring positive fantasies of success drains the energy out of ambition.
There are many types of people, and many different modes of ambition and motivation. I wouldn't think this is rocket science, but perhaps it's an opportunity for me to apply for big funding.
Completely overstated. What they actually demonstrated is that on their set of selected people, conjuring positive fantasies of success drains the energy out of ambition.
There are many types of people, and many different modes of ambition and motivation. I wouldn't think this is rocket science, but perhaps it's an opportunity for me to apply for big funding.
Ok, so how many studies is enough for you? These are repeatable experiments, if you don't believe the results, recreate them.
This article has the opposite conclusion: http://www.stltoday.com/classifieds/jobs/visualize-interview...
I realize Tiger Woods and Michael Phelps using positive visualization is just an anecdote, but it seems to work for them.
The first article's example of visualizing a glass of cold waters seems pretty useless to me. Unless you are severely depressed I think most people could muster the energy to get a cold glass of water. I'd rather see a study of people using visualization to train for a marathon or some other task that takes a little effort.
I realize Tiger Woods and Michael Phelps using positive visualization is just an anecdote, but it seems to work for them.
The first article's example of visualizing a glass of cold waters seems pretty useless to me. Unless you are severely depressed I think most people could muster the energy to get a cold glass of water. I'd rather see a study of people using visualization to train for a marathon or some other task that takes a little effort.
There's a difference between visualizing the process and visualizing the fruits of success. Personally I have the same experience as the article reports; visualizing success saps the motivation. Instead I live vicariously through my imagination.
Just tried logging into SciVerse but unfortunately my University has no subscription to that specific journal.
Can anybody let us know a bit more about the framework, e.g. sample size, test conditions, test participants?
Can anybody let us know a bit more about the framework, e.g. sample size, test conditions, test participants?
Part of this is harmonic with what Deepak Chopra mentions in his 7 Laws of Spiritual Success, wherein one of the teachings is to separate your intentions from outcomes.
If you keep visualizing a specific outcome, odds are likely it will not occur and you will fail... however, if you walk that back to it's core intention(s), the possible outcomes that satisfy the intention are much greater, and likelihood of success (and resulting fulfillment) are much greater.
If you keep visualizing a specific outcome, odds are likely it will not occur and you will fail... however, if you walk that back to it's core intention(s), the possible outcomes that satisfy the intention are much greater, and likelihood of success (and resulting fulfillment) are much greater.
So positive fantasy makes you less likely to get a glass of water. What about important goals? The ones that generate stress, and feelings of being overwhelmed? You, know, important goals?
FTA: Ironically, shifting into positive fantasy mode is most effective when we need to decrease our energy expenditure, when, for example, anxiety is getting the better of us. In that case, the healthiest move is denying the fire more fuel, and it seems that positive visualization is a commendably effective tool for doing exactly that.
Oh. "Ironically" in the sense that our article suggests that all these positive thinking books are wrong, when in fact, its this entire article that is wrong and we wait till the last paragraph to make this clever little "ironic" claim.
So, can we change the title to "Visualize success if you want to fail at getting a glass of water, but succeed at anything remotely fucking important".