What will I learn about: how to harness the gap between visual perception and reality to creatively reframe your obstacles into manageable goals?

Discover how to harness the gap between visual perception and reality to creatively reframe your obstacles into manageable goals.

What will I learn about: Learn how adopting a narrow visual focus can make your targets feel up to 30 percent closer and require significantly less effort to achieve?

Learn how adopting a narrow visual focus can make your targets feel up to 30 percent closer and require significantly less effort to achieve.

What will I learn about: why visualizing your concrete course of action yields much better results than simply imagining a successful outcome?

Understand why visualizing your concrete course of action yields much better results than simply imagining a successful outcome.

What will I learn about: how normalizing failure removes the shame of making mistakes and gives you the confidence to take highly innovative risks?

Find out how normalizing failure removes the shame of making mistakes and gives you the confidence to take highly innovative risks.

What will I learn about: the habit of objectively tracking your progress to hold yourself accountable and easily identify where your efforts fall short?

Master the habit of objectively tracking your progress to hold yourself accountable and easily identify where your efforts fall short.

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Clearer, Closer, Better

How Successful People See the World

Emily Balcetis

★ 4.1 / 5(159 ratings)

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Categories:

Career & Success Personal Development

If You're Curious About These Questions...

You should listen to this audiobook

💡Did you know that simply changing where you focus your eyes can make a difficult goal feel physically closer and much easier to achieve?
💡What if you could use the same visual shortcuts that Olympic athletes and world-class leaders use to stay motivated when others quit?
💡Have you ever wondered why your brain sometimes tricks you into seeing obstacles as bigger than they are, and how you can reframe your perception to beat those odds?

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Key Takeaways from Clearer, Closer, Better

✓Discover how to harness the gap between visual perception and reality to creatively reframe your obstacles into manageable goals.
✓Learn how adopting a narrow visual focus can make your targets feel up to 30 percent closer and require significantly less effort to achieve.
✓Understand why visualizing your concrete course of action yields much better results than simply imagining a successful outcome.
✓Find out how normalizing failure removes the shame of making mistakes and gives you the confidence to take highly innovative risks.
✓Master the habit of objectively tracking your progress to hold yourself accountable and easily identify where your efforts fall short.

Learning Tools

Reinforce what you learned from Clearer, Closer, Better

Mind Map

Clearer, Closer, Better

The Perception Gap+

Strategy 1: Narrow Focus+

Strategy 2: Materialize Goals+

Accountability & Tracking+

Directing Visual Attention+

Strategy 3: Broad Focus+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 9

According to the book, what is the significance of the gap between our visual perception and reality?

A. It is a major cognitive flaw that prevents us from achieving our long-term goals.
B. It can be utilized to reframe obstacles and set ourselves up for success.
C. It primarily affects our ability to read the emotional expressions of others.
D. It proves that humans are incapable of understanding their true motivations.

Question 2 of 9

How did adopting a 'narrow focus' affect gym-goers who were asked to walk to a finish line while wearing ankle weights?

A. They estimated the finish line was closer, walked faster, and used less effort to reach it.
B. They became more aware of their surroundings and noticed potential obstacles.
C. They felt the extra weight more intensely but walked at the same speed as the control group.
D. They experienced higher levels of stress but achieved better physical muscle growth.

Question 3 of 9

Based on Shelley E. Taylor's study of college students, which visualization strategy leads to the best exam results?

A. Visualizing the feeling of receiving a high grade and celebrating.
B. Visualizing the concrete steps and actions needed to prepare for the exam.
C. Visualizing the negative consequences of failing the exam.
D. Visualizing the classroom environment where the exam will take place.

Question 4 of 9

What is the primary lesson drawn from Mike Lee's creation of MyFitnessPal and Carrie Smith Nicholson's rapid debt repayment?

A. Relying on memory is sufficient for tracking daily habits if you are highly motivated.
B. Keeping objective, materialized records of your daily efforts significantly increases the odds of success.
C. Financial goals require a completely different tracking method than health and fitness goals.
D. Sharing your goals publicly on the internet is the most effective way to stay accountable.

Question 5 of 9

Why did Walmart experience a dip in sales when they trialed a more 'slimmed-down' visual experience in their stores?

A. Customers could not find the essential items they came to buy.
B. The lack of visual clutter made customers feel rushed and anxious.
C. Customers were less likely to make unintended purchases when shelves weren't overflowing.
D. The slimmed-down look made the store appear as though it was going out of business.

Question 6 of 9

When attempting to read facial expressions, what is the key physiological difference between a genuine smile and a staged one?

A. A staged smile engages the muscles around the eyes, while a genuine smile only uses the lips.
B. A genuine smile contracts the muscles around the eyes, while a staged smile relies primarily on cheek muscles.
C. A genuine smile reveals the teeth, while a staged smile keeps the lips tightly closed.
D. A staged smile causes the eyebrows to raise, while a genuine smile keeps the forehead relaxed.

Question 7 of 9

According to the observation of athletes in New York Road Runners races, when is it most effective to use a broad focus versus a narrow focus?

A. A broad focus is best at the beginning of a journey, while a narrow focus is best toward the end.
B. A narrow focus is best at the beginning of a journey, while a broad focus is best toward the end.
C. A broad focus should be used during physical tasks, while a narrow focus is better for cognitive tasks.
D. A narrow focus should be used when you are winning, and a broad focus when you are falling behind.

Question 8 of 9

What role does a 'broad focus' play when dealing with a cherished dream that isn't working out, as seen in the examples of Steve Sims and Vera Wang?

A. It helps you double down on your efforts and ignore temporary setbacks.
B. It allows you to recognize when to let go and reframe your passions into a new, achievable path.
C. It prevents you from feeling the emotional pain of failure.
D. It encourages you to multitask so you can pursue multiple dreams simultaneously.

Question 9 of 9

Under what specific circumstance did professor Diwas KC find that multitasking actually improved the performance of emergency room doctors?

A. When doctors were dealing with highly critical, life-threatening cases.
B. When doctors relied on nurses to handle the administrative paperwork.
C. When the patient load was relatively small, as low levels of stress boosted cognitive functioning.
D. When the patient load exceeded six patients, forcing the doctors to work faster.

Clearer, Closer, Better — Full Chapter Overview

1Recommendation
21 — Narrow your visual focus to reach your goals more effectively.
32 — Make the goals you want to achieve feel tangible.
43 — Hold yourself accountable for your efforts to improve your chances of reaching your goals.
54 — Know where to direct your attention to stay focused on your goal.
65 — Learn to read others’ emotional expressions accurately, even when the message isn’t entirely positive.
76 — Broaden your focus to make decisions that better serve your long-term objectives.
87 — A broader focus helps you know when to let go of a goal you had your heart set on.
98 — A broader focus can make multitasking less appealing.
109 — Final summary

Clearer, Closer, Better Summary & Overview

Clearer, Closer, Better (2020) teaches us to view the world through the lens of high achievers. Drawing on vision science, motivational psychology, and case studies from all kinds of successful people, author Emily Balcetis shows us how to reframe our perceptions in order to overcome challenges and meet our goals.

Who Should Listen to Clearer, Closer, Better?

Anyone with their sights set on a goal
Those who can’t see the forest for the trees
Anyone curious about new ways of looking at the world

About the Author: Emily Balcetis

Emily Balcetis, PhD, is a social psychologist and an associate professor at New York University. She’s authored more than 70 scientific publications and received numerous awards for her work.