Rethinking Positive Thinking: Inside the New Science of Motivation - Gabriele Oettingen Audiobook

Written by Gabriele Oettingen
Read by Karen Saltus
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Unabridged

Publisher: Gildan Audio
Release date: November 1, 2014
Duration: 05:30:53

“The solution isn’t to do away with dreaming and positive thinking. Rather, it’s making the most of our fantasies by brushing them up against the very thing most of us are taught to ignore or diminish: the obstacles that stand in our way.”

So often in our day-to-day lives we’re inundated with advice to “think positively.” From pop music to political speeches to commercials, the general message is the same: look on the bright side, be optimistic in the face of adversity, and focus on your dreams. And whether we’re trying to motivate ourselves to lose weight, snag a promotion at work, or run a marathon, we’re told time and time again that focusing on fulfilling our wishes will make them come true.

Gabriele Oettingen draws on more than twenty years of research in the science of human motivation to reveal why the conventional wisdom falls short. The obstacles that we think prevent us from realizing our deepest wishes can actually lead to their fulfillment. Starry-eyed dreaming isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and as it turns out, dreamers are not often doers.

Based on her groundbreaking research and large-scale scientific studies, Oettingen introduces a new way to visualize the future, called mental contrasting. It combines focusing on our dreams with visualizing the obstacles that stand in our way. By experiencing our dreams in our minds and facing reality we can address our fears, make concrete plans, and gain energy to take action.

Whether you are unhappy and struggling with serious problems or you just want to improve, discover, and explore new opportunities, this book will deepen your ideas about human motivation and help you boldly chart a new path ahead.

Her procedure, WOOP (Wish Outcome Obstacle Plan)–trademarked, with an app supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation–adds a recognizable layer of cognitive behavioral technique to positive thinking exercises.

VERDICT Approachably written for general readers, the work also includes detailed activity instructions.