Set yourself up for success

Envision the outcome, and how you’ll deal with the obstacles

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is about one way to set yourself up
for success in meeting your goals. Get clear on what
you hope for, what will happen when you attain it,

(00:25):
obstacles that could come up, and how you'll address these
obstacles if you do encounter them. Today's tip comes from
psychologists and n y U professor Gabrielle Uttingen. She studies
approaches that help shape people's thoughts and actions in working
towards their goals. Uttingen and her colleagues developed a strategy
to guide people towards this pursuit. The strategy is informally

(00:49):
known as Whoop wo o P. That stands for Wish
Outcome Obstacle Plan. Here's how it works. First, identify what
you wish for. Maybe it's a drama free family dinner,
or a functional workspace at home, a well maintained and

(01:09):
inviting front yard, or you seeing a job interview. I'm
sure you have all sorts of wishes, so let's narrow
it down to the ones that feel most compelling. Next,
envision the outcome. What results would this fulfilled wish bring?
How would you feel? Maybe the drama free family dinner
would leave you feeling relaxed and happy at night. Perhaps

(01:32):
that functional workspace would result in your being able to
be more productive. You might feel more confident when your
colleagues see your space on video calls to imagining the
outcome of fulfilling your wish is motivating because you recognize
its value to you. You're not going to declutter just
to declutter. It's because you never want to hunt for

(01:54):
your files again. It is great to envision this rosy future,
but don't stop there now. You want to contrast that
positive future with the realities that may stand in your way.
This is where the second oh comes in. What obstacles
could prevent you from fulfilling your wish? Maybe your daughter

(02:16):
will complain that the dinner you're serving is gross. You
might get overwhelmed by all the options for how to
arrange your workspace, or find yourself feeling ambivalent about spending
money on a bookcase that you won't need once you're
back to working in the office full time. If your
progress toward your wish doesn't go as planned, well, what
could go wrong. The final component of whoop is the plan.

(02:41):
That's the P. If the potential obstacle arises, how will
you handle it? I think that the plan is the
most important aspect of all of this. It is easy
and fun to fantasize about having our wishes come true
and then right on cue. We can get discouraged by

(03:01):
thinking about all that can go wrong, but having a
plan to address those obstacles means will be better prepared
to deal with them. Let's take our wish of a
drama free family dinner, which could be derailed by a
child complaining that dinner is disgusting. Maybe your family can
come up with acceptable language for expressing preferences. The norm

(03:26):
is that children may say a food is not my favorite,
but they can't criticize it. You are not stifling their opinions,
but you are teaching them tact and respect. Because you
could anticipate an obstacle that could come up to a
pleasant family dinner, you can make a plan for addressing it.

(03:46):
So try giving this Whoop woo p scenario planning a trial.
What wish do you have right now? What can you
see as the outcome of that wish being fulfilled? What
might stand in your way, and how can you plan
to address those obstacles. Do this over and over again

(04:10):
and you'll be able to make a lot more of
your dreams come true. In the meantime, this is Laura.
Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of
our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you.

(04:31):
You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else.
Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at
Before Breakfast Pod that's b E the number four, then
breakfast p o D. You can also shoot me an
email at Before Breakfast podcast at i heeart media dot
com that Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters.

(04:54):
Thanks so much, I look forward to staying in touch.
Before Breakfast is a production of I heart Radio. For
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