The ObservatoryHope and faith in the future
The ability to picture a positive or meaningful future.
Questions to ask yourself
- 1How bright does the future feel when you think about it?
- 2What are you most looking forward to right now?
- 3What worries you most when you look ahead?
- 4When did you last feel hope, and what sparked it?
- 5How could you strengthen your faith in the future by one step?
In the app, you rate the area 0–10, answer the questions, and watch how your answers shift over time.
Getting started
Exercise
How do you explain a setback?
It isn't the setback that determines how heavy it gets. It's the explanation you give it. Examine yours on three dimensions.
11 min · Rationality
Exercise
Best possible self
Write a future you in which things have gone as well as realistically possible, after hard work, not luck.
12 min · Rationality
Exercise
Do more of what works
Don't wait for the energy to come before the action. It is often the other way around.
10 min · Discipline
Exercise
WOOP: wish meets reality
Four steps (wish, outcome, obstacle, plan) that set the dream against reality.
12 min · Rationality
Exercise
Action before motivation
Low mood says: do nothing until you feel like it. The research says the opposite — action comes first, the wish follows. An exercise in starting from the right end.
12 min · Discipline
Exercise
Two minutes: more than one way
When you're stuck: find three ways to get closer to something you want, not just one
2 min · Rationality