Woop! It's A New Day!

Mornings can sometimes be a struggle to deal with. What if instead, it was your chance to start the process of getting what you want. In this meditation, we use a powerful visualization technique called W.O.O.P. Join me to see how this can transform your morning.

Transcript

Hey,

Good morning,

It's Doug here.

Now I know whoop is not a word most of us will associate with a morning,

But I want to change your mind about that.

I want to introduce you to the word whoop as is described by psychologist Gabrielle Ottingen.

She's found that this acronym works wonders across cultures,

Across age groups.

It's a fantastic way of getting yourself to do the things you know you should do and to not do the things you know you shouldn't.

As a result,

It's a great way to start your day and get you leading a more fulfilling and a life that you want to lead.

The acronym stands for wish,

Outcome,

Obstacle,

And plan.

And I'm going to lead you through it this morning.

So before we get started,

Let's get yourself into a nice comfortable seat.

Even if you're still in bed,

Just set yourself up.

We want to be aware of what's going on.

We want to pay attention to all these things.

You'll see there's quite a bit of searching and quite a bit of planning.

So we want to be as alert as possible.

So sitting up tall,

Bring your hands into your lap,

Have that dignified posture,

Tall spine but relaxed.

You can now close your eyes or keep them open with a soft gaze.

We practice being focused first by just paying attention to how the body feels sitting upright and breathing.

With a deep breath in and a deep breath out.

Great work.

Let's get whooping.

Now to start with,

The W of course stands for wish.

So what is it that you want?

That can be something you want to do with your life or it can be something that you want to stop doing.

This may be obvious to you or it may be a little bit more hidden.

So in this lovely quiet environment that you've provided for yourself,

Sitting upright,

Breathing calmly,

Just let your mind start to search for that thing that you want.

Sometimes you don't ask yourself this question nearly enough but what do you want from life?

What is it you want today?

You can simply put this question forward and if nothing comes to you straight away,

Just keep focusing on your breath with that question floating around in the background.

Almost like a fishing rod throwing out the line and waiting.

Waiting for something to bite,

Something to take hold.

Try keep it succinct,

Try keep it specific.

Put it into one sentence or a few words.

I want to be fitter.

I want to be kinder.

I want to handstand.

I want to spend more time with my children.

It can be anything,

Just make it honest.

Great,

We're going to move on now but if you still need time just press pause for now until you have that thing that you wish,

That thing that you want.

The next step is to think about the outcome.

So if you got your wish,

If you got this thing that you so desired,

What would life look like?

Don't think about this in an abstract way,

Think about this in a very real tangible way.

What does your life look like?

What do you look like?

How does your world look?

Really experience it,

Put yourself into this wishful avatar you've just created,

This person that's achieved this outcome that you so desired.

How do they walk?

How do they talk?

How do they interact with others?

How do you feel now that you are this person that's achieved this goal?

I imagine it feels pretty good but I want you to live it.

I want you to live this experience.

Imagine yourself as this achiever walking throughout your day doing whatever it is you do.

Don't hold back,

Really invest yourself in this experience.

If we can't be this person in our own imagination,

Where can we be that person?

Don't hold back,

Embrace it.

Excellent job.

Now with this rich warm feeling,

We're going to flip the script slightly.

The next thing I want you to think about are what are the obstacles that stop you doing this?

What are the obstacles that stand between you now and this future person that you've just created?

And be honest about this.

What are your inner obstacles?

Again,

This may be back to that searching technique of putting that question out there and waiting to see the answer.

Or maybe it's very apparent to you.

I don't do this because.

.

.

It may be a certain way you feel.

It may be negative comments you have about yourself.

It may be that you don't want to face how things are right now.

Try be specific about it.

Put it into one sentence or a few words.

Now of course with so many things,

There's quite often several obstacles in our way.

Try just pick a few.

Remember,

These are the things that are stopping you being that person you've just thought of.

No one else is listening.

This is just for you.

Doing this open conversation with yourself,

What stops me getting what I want?

Okay great.

Again,

You can pause here and think about these things a bit more.

You can even write them down if you want.

But for now we're going to move on.

This next step,

This final step,

Is to plan.

Now that we know what the obstacles are in our way,

Some of the things that come up when we want to achieve the thing we want or we want to stop doing the thing that we don't want to do anymore,

We start to work on this if-then plan.

If this obstacle comes up,

What will you do to counteract it?

And this is a creative problem solving technique so really keep your mind open.

What are some of the things you can do to counteract the obstacles you've just shown?

Keep in mind what's waiting for you on the other side is that incredible experience that you went through during your outcome phase.

So this is worthwhile doing.

If what's getting in the way of your fitness goals is that you don't have enough time,

Where could you make time?

Now those may not be the solutions for you but these are just examples.

If you're trying to kick a habit,

What are some of the things that you can do to help?

If you want to stop smoking,

Is there something else you can replace that habit with?

As we go through this we start to practice this problem solving.

So when this scenario comes up,

We're ready.

Simply going through those obstacles,

Going if this comes up,

What will be my plan?

And the carrot that's leading you towards this is the fact that you've already experienced in a way what it's like to be that achiever.

You know that sweet taste of success.

If we can just solve these problems,

If we can just put a plan in place,

If only in our mind's eye.

Great job.

You can slowly blink your eyes open,

Go into your day having succeeded in completing your whoop.

Your wish,

Your outcome,

Knowing your obstacles and knowing your plans.

I wish you all the luck in creating the world that you so deserve.

Becoming the person that you want.

Reviews

Thank you for offering a structure for hope and forward movement in dark times..

I love this idea of getting really clear on what I need to change and digging into not only the outcome but also the obstacles that get in my way and coming up with a plan. Thank you!

Whoop! You showed me the recipe to success. Thank you.

Wow!!! This is a great tool. I’ll start using it today. Thank you!

thank you - very empowering

Wish, outcome, obstacles, plan. I needed this today! Thank you.

Thank you🌷

Namaste ✨️ 🙏

What a clear way to put forward a desire. I will be trying this WOOP technique soon, in many aspects of my life. Thank you 🌸

I couldn't resist this meditation when I saw it's name! Great ideas and techniques herein. And lots to think about. Thank you for a great and powerful way to start the day. 🙏

I will listen to this again , you made me think & set an intention for the day ahead & further!

I've heard this technique before, it's great having it as a meditation! Thank you 🤍

Great meditation! Loved it

Very helpful! I love the simplicity and the delivery, Thank you so much🙏❤