How can foreshadowing failure help?

Foreshadowing failure can be an effective strategy for goal pursuit, as Andrew Huberman explains in the Huberman Lab. Often, we are encouraged to focus only on success and to push failure out of our minds. However, focusing on the potential negative outcomes associated with not reaching a goal significantly increases the likelihood of actually achieving it.

Dr. Huberman notes that a near-doubling in the probability of reaching one's goals occurs when individuals routinely anticipate and plan for possible failures 1. This approach involves visualizing the disappointment and negative consequences that could result from failing. This method can be more effective than visualizing success because the brain and body are better at moving away from fearful things than moving toward things we desire, as seen in the brain's asymmetrical response to avoidance over approach 2.

The neural circuitry related to assessing the value of our goal pursuits involves the amygdala, a brain center associated with anxiety and fear 2. Consequently, by foreshadowing failure and activating the amygdala, our bodies can experience a rise in systolic blood pressure and an increase in overall readiness to act, pushing us towards our goals 2.

In summary, imagining how bad things could get if one does not achieve a goal appears to be maximally motivating. Embracing this strategy alongside other goal-setting practices enhances goal achievement likelihood 3.