Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Speaker 1: Today's tip is about one way to set yourself up
Speaker 1: for success in meeting your goals. Get clear on what
Speaker 1: you hope for, what will happen when you attain it,
Speaker 1: obstacles that could come up, and how you'll address these
Speaker 1: obstacles if you do encounter them. Today's tip comes from
Speaker 1: psychologists and n y U professor Gabrielle Uttingen. She studies
Speaker 1: approaches that help shape people's thoughts and actions in working
Speaker 1: towards their goals. Uttingen and her colleagues developed a strategy
Speaker 1: to guide people towards this pursuit. The strategy is informally
Speaker 1: known as Whoop wo o P. That stands for Wish
Speaker 1: Outcome Obstacle Plan. Here's how it works. First, identify what
Speaker 1: you wish for. Maybe it's a drama free family dinner,
Speaker 1: or a functional workspace at home, a well maintained and
Speaker 1: inviting front yard, or you seeing a job interview. I'm
Speaker 1: sure you have all sorts of wishes, so let's narrow
Speaker 1: it down to the ones that feel most compelling. Next,
Speaker 1: envision the outcome. What results would this fulfilled wish bring?
Speaker 1: How would you feel? Maybe the drama free family dinner
Speaker 1: would leave you feeling relaxed and happy at night. Perhaps
Speaker 1: that functional workspace would result in your being able to
Speaker 1: be more productive. You might feel more confident when your
Speaker 1: colleagues see your space on video calls to imagining the
Speaker 1: outcome of fulfilling your wish is motivating because you recognize
Speaker 1: its value to you. You're not going to declutter just
Speaker 1: to declutter. It's because you never want to hunt for
Speaker 1: your files again. It is great to envision this rosy future,
Speaker 1: but don't stop there now. You want to contrast that
Speaker 1: positive future with the realities that may stand in your way.
Speaker 1: This is where the second oh comes in. What obstacles
Speaker 1: could prevent you from fulfilling your wish? Maybe your daughter
Speaker 1: will complain that the dinner you're serving is gross. You
Speaker 1: might get overwhelmed by all the options for how to
Speaker 1: arrange your workspace, or find yourself feeling ambivalent about spending
Speaker 1: money on a bookcase that you won't need once you're
Speaker 1: back to working in the office full time. If your
Speaker 1: progress toward your wish doesn't go as planned, well, what
Speaker 1: could go wrong. The final component of whoop is the plan.
Speaker 1: That's the P. If the potential obstacle arises, how will
Speaker 1: you handle it? I think that the plan is the
Speaker 1: most important aspect of all of this. It is easy
Speaker 1: and fun to fantasize about having our wishes come true
Speaker 1: and then right on cue. We can get discouraged by
Speaker 1: thinking about all that can go wrong, but having a
Speaker 1: plan to address those obstacles means will be better prepared
Speaker 1: to deal with them. Let's take our wish of a
Speaker 1: drama free family dinner, which could be derailed by a
Speaker 1: child complaining that dinner is disgusting. Maybe your family can
Speaker 1: come up with acceptable language for expressing preferences. The norm
Speaker 1: is that children may say a food is not my favorite,
Speaker 1: but they can't criticize it. You are not stifling their opinions,
Speaker 1: but you are teaching them tact and respect. Because you
Speaker 1: could anticipate an obstacle that could come up to a
Speaker 1: pleasant family dinner, you can make a plan for addressing it.
Speaker 1: So try giving this Whoop woo p scenario planning a trial.
Speaker 1: What wish do you have right now? What can you
Speaker 1: see as the outcome of that wish being fulfilled? What
Speaker 1: might stand in your way, and how can you plan
Speaker 1: to address those obstacles. Do this over and over again
Speaker 1: and you'll be able to make a lot more of
Speaker 1: your dreams come true. In the meantime, this is Laura.
Speaker 1: Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of
Speaker 1: our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you.
Speaker 1: You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else.
Speaker 1: Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at
Speaker 1: Before Breakfast Pod that's b E the number four, then
Speaker 1: breakfast p o D. You can also shoot me an
Speaker 1: email at Before Breakfast podcast at i heeart media dot
Speaker 1: com that Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters.
Speaker 1: Thanks so much, I look forward to staying in touch.
Speaker 1: Before Breakfast is a production of I heart Radio. For
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