This Mental Hack Helped Michael Phelps Win Olympic Gold in Beijing
Why we should expect the best but prepare for the worst
In 2008, a 23-year-old Michael Phelps was on the brink of history at the Beijing Olympic Games. He had already won seven gold medals in swimming, and the only thing standing between him and the history books was the 200-meter butterfly, his signature event.
Shortly after the race started, his goggles began to fill with water, making it difficult to gauge his position in the pool. But Phelps remained unfazed. His coach had frequently made him practice under such conditions just in case.
Thanks to his dedication and preparation, Phelps had learned to count his strokes when swimming blind and cruised to a smooth victory nonetheless.
While practicing for the big day, Phelps and his coach used a Stoic technique known as negative visualization, which consists of anticipating unforeseen hurdles in order to better prepare to tackle them.
Sometimes called premeditatio malorum (premeditation of evils), negative visualization can help inoculate us against the effects of stress and adversity.
Nobody Expects the Spanish Inquisition
In the business world, the exercise of negative visualization is known as the pre-mortem method, a risk assessment tool that was originally developed by research psychologist Gary Klein. Here’s how it works in practice.
A CEO might switch gears during a weekly team meeting with the following: “I have bad news to share. Our project has failed spectacularly. Who can tell me what went wrong?”
This exercise encourages brainstorming about possible blindspots and allows teams to envision and anticipate what could go wrong prior to a launch, helping companies more effectively prepare for future challenges.
Proposed problems can be assessed for likelihood, impact, and ease of prevention, which can help teams triage potential pitfalls in order to effectively address relevant concerns.
You Don’t Know What You’ve Got ‘til It’s Gone
Negative visualization can also help us develop a deeper sense of gratitude and appreciation for what we have. The worth of people and privilege often only becomes apparent once those things are lost.
Imagining our lives without something we hold dear can help put things into perspective so that we don’t take our blessings for granted. Negative visualization can instill a newfound recognition into the sanctity of life.
Thinking about negative visualization from this perspective reminds me of the lyrics from a Hindi ghazal, or old folk song, called “Duniya” (World) that my father used to sing:
Mil jaaye tho mitti hai, kho jaaye tho sona hai
which roughly translates to:
If you get it, it’s dirt; if you lose it, it’s gold.
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