“I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.” – Mark Twain
I’m not a big fan of Tim Ferriss. Sure, he’s been hugely successful with his bestseller The 4-Hour Workweek, but his writing (and speaking) is often flip and boastful. Not my cup of tea, but it’s worked for him.
Without rehashing his list of achievements, suffice it to say he’s done a lot with his life in the last 8 years. Much of this he attributes to the motivational and productivity technique of negative visualization – imagining worst-case scenarios and defining failure – in order to achieve your goals.
Giving a speech or presentation? Imagine not being able to utter a single word and having to shrink out of the room. Since there’s very little chance of that happening you begin to build confidence and get more comfortable with tackling the challenge.
Negative visualization can also help challenge the status quo and assess the risk of new careers, new businesses, and uncommon ideas. Below is Ferriss talking about the Practicality of Pessimism.
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