Author's note -- Preface -- Dreaming, not doing -- The upside of dreaming -- Fooling our minds -- The wise pursuit of our dreams -- Engaging our nonconscious minds -- The magic of WOOP -- WOOP your life -- Your friend for life -- Acknowledgments -- Notes -- Index

While optimism can help us alleviate immediate suffering and persevere in challenging times, merely dreaming about the future actually makes people more frustrated over the long term and less likely to achieve their goals. Oettingen introduces a new way to visualize the future, combining our dreams with visualizing the obstacles that stand in our way, allowing us to make concrete plans, and gain energy to take action