Here is another valuable Management Tip of the Day from Harvard Business Review. To sign up for a free subscription to any/all HBR newsletters, please click here.

If you believe you will succeed, you will. Right?

Not quite. Research has shown that optimism and the confidence it brings will help you reach your goals, but there is no guarantee.

In fact, if you believe that success will come easily to you, you are more likely to disappoint. This is because you’ll fail to put in the necessary work.

1. You need to think positively but also be realistic about what achievement entails.

2. Knowing that success is hard won forces you to put in the necessary effort.

3. Don’t spend too much time visualizing the end result. Instead, envision the steps you will take to get there.

Today’s Management Tip was adapted from “Be an Optimist Without Being a Fool” by Heidi Grant Halvorson.

To read that article and join the discussion, please click here.

Heidi Grant Halvorson, Ph.D. is a motivational psychologist, and author of the Succeed: How We Can Reach Our Goals (Hudson Street Press, 2011). She is also an expert blogger on motivation and leadership for Fast Company and Psychology Today. Her personal blog, The Science of Success, can be found at www.heidigranthalvorson.com. You can also follow her on Twitter @hghalvorson.