The Tools: Mental Contrasting

Reading Time: 2 Minutes

What to Expect:

• The power of visualizing your future

• Why identifying barriers matters

• How to differentiate between internal and external barriers to success

Since I’ve already covered the next performance tool after values - goals - at the outset of this newsletter, the next natural step is to explain what I do once a goal is set.

The next tool is called mental contrasting.

Mental contrasting takes place in two steps.

The first step is to imagine your desired future after you've reached your goal. What would that look and feel like? How will you be different? What will have changed? What are the benefits of achieving that goal?

You want to imagine this future as vividly as possible. You want to really see yourself succeeding.

This step of imagination strengthens our commitment to the goal. It makes what we're working toward more tangible and real. It builds our sense of self-efficacy and empowers us to take action.

It also causes us to experience a distance or disconnect between where we are and where we want to be. This spurs a sense of urgency and action. That allows us to turn with a critical eye to step two.

The second step is the act of identifying obstacles and objections to you reaching your goal. Consciously determining what you think you’re up against will allow you to better identify what resources you need to be successful. Now that you've really felt what you want your future to be, you want to figure out what and who stands in your way.

There are two different things you might be up against: obstacles, which are external, and objections, which are internal.

Obstacles are external barriers that might pop up during your goal pursuit. Things like time and money fall into this category, as do other people who might try to hold you back or control some vital part of your success. For example, if you’re trying to hit a sales quota, but you need a manager’s approval for you to take on new territory, that’s an obstacle.

Objections are internal barriers. We all have them. It’s the voice in your head that tells you you’ll never figure it out, or the discomfort you feel as you stall on your progress. Things like thoughts, feelings, and unproductive behavior fall into this category. If you’re trying to hit that same quota but self-handicap before each pitch, for example, that’s an objection.

Now that we’ve got a goal, it’s time to list obstacles and objections. This list can’t possibly be exhaustive, since we have relatively little idea of what we’ll face as we move toward our goal. But, almost anyone can identify the biggest barriers they anticipate facing.

For example, you might note that your biggest objection to reaching your goal is your tendency to quit when things get hard, or that you’re hard on yourself when you fail. You may have 2 or 3 objections. Just write them down.

You might also note that the biggest barrier is lacking support and coaching. Write that down, too.

Once you’ve written down what you anticipate getting in your way, we can turn our attention to the next tool we’ll cover: implementation intentions.

For now, just practice making a list of the barriers you face and really thinking those through. You’ll be surprised by what you learn by actively identifying what can get in your way.

Reflective Questions

• Do you have more obstacles or objections?

• How do you typically handle each obstacle or objection on your list?