The way a problem or goal is visualized mentally impacts its perception and motivation.

“As you'll learn directly from Dr. Balcetis today, how people visualize a problem, that is, whether or not they think of a goal or a problem as residing at the top of a very steep hill, or on the top of a shallower hill, or whether or not they visualize a goal or a problem as far off in the distance or closer to them in the distance, visually, in their mind, strongly dictates whether or not they will arrive at the challenge of meeting a goal or overcoming a problem with more energy or less energy.”