Mental Simulation

We’ve all set ourselves goals. Sometimes we do so voluntarily. Sometimes we’re asked to by our teachers and professors. We’ve all set so many goals that the concept is completely normal. But how often have we actually spent time developing a proper process to enable us set our goals effectively? How often have we actually spent time to ensure our goals have genuine meaning and purpose? 

Often we jump right over the process of changing habits and strategic planning straight to the outcome itself. This has a complex series of consequences for us. Sometimes it means we don’t really set goals at all, but rather give ourselves tasks to do. For example, telling ourselves that we want to finish our work on time is actually a task. The goal is probably more like improving our time management or research skills. The difference between the two is that the task is fixed and finite whereas the goal can be transferred across many different areas of our lives. One useful way to ask yourself if you have set a goal or a task is to ask what do I really want to achieve here and what change am I really asking of myself?

Other times we set goals without a process to make that goal sustainable in the long term. We’ve probably all met someone who set themselves a New Year’s resolution to join a gym. Right away, that’s a task not a goal. Perhaps what they really mean is they want to have a healthier lifestyle so they can have more energy. By setting your goal as the task of joining a gym you can enjoy the instant gratification of having achieved your goal. After all it only took a minute to sign up for your local gym online. So why is it that this person then went to the gym every day for a week, then every second day, then once a week, then once a month and then stopped altogether? It's probably because they set themselves a goal, but the only way they knew how to achieve that goal was through sheer will power. Then life got in the way. They had to stay late at school, or have an unscheduled meeting, or caught a cold, or there was bad weather outside, or we were all told to stay at home. They relied too much on will power and didn’t put in place any system to allow them to build a virtuous habit that would allow them to overcome obstacles. 

So what tools can we use to make sure we set a meaningful goal and build a process to help us reach and sustain it?

At the Beijing Olympics in 2008, Michael Phelps was about to swim in the final of the 200m butterfly. Disaster struck the moment he dived into the water. His goggles filled with water. He was swimming blind. He would have been disqualified if he’d stopped to readjust his goggles. There was nothing he could do. His dream of winning gold was shattered. Except it wasn’t. Phelps had long made it part of his preparation to visualise all the things that could go wrong in a race and to devise a plan for how he would overcome those obstacles. In Beijing, blinded by the water in his goggles, he implemented the plan he’d spent so long imagining, and counted the number of strokes it would take for him to swim the length of the pool before turning. It worked. He won gold. 

This process is called mental contrasting and you can learn to do it too. Here is the process.

• Ask your why

  • So you want to meditate more or go to the gym to get fitter. Sounds great. But don’t stop there. Ask yourself why. Perhaps it is very specific: you want to run a marathon. Perhaps it's big picture: you want to feel less stress. Either way, unpack your thinking and ask yourself what is the value of the marathon. You may end up with something like this: I want to go to the gym because I want to complete a marathon… because I want to push the limits of what I’m capable of

  • The ‘why’ will give you clarity about the meaning and purpose of your goal

• Specificity 

  • Unpack when, where, with whom, what time etc you will practice for your goal 

  • Build your support network by setting reminders, asking friends for help and so on

• Goal visualisation

  • Visualise yourself achieving the goal. What does it look like and how does it make you feel? What strengths have you used to reach your goal? What does the perfect version of you achieving your goal look like? It turns out that simulated memories have practically the same effect on our wellbeing as real memories. This means that your visualisation will also help flood your brain and body with positivity, and this will keep you motivated

• Mental contrasting 

  • Imagine all the challenges and obstacles you might face when trying to achieve your goal. What might go wrong? What might get in the way? 

• If-then-plan

  • What can you do to specifically overcome each of those challenges and obstacles you imagined? If X happens what plan do you already have in your pocket that you can deploy?

One tool to help you is called WOOP, which stands for Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan. It's a useful, effective and quick way to guide you through this process. 

Think of a goal you have and copy and complete the table below…