Specificity Wins: The Key to Getting What You Want
By Shawn Tolleson
Specific: free from ambiguity
If you’re an actor, you know that
vague, muddy choices do not make for compelling acting. If you’re a writer, you know that a generic
character is not someone the audience will root for. In all things in life, the more specific you
are, the more likely you are to clearly communicate and get what you want. If you want to paint your house but you just
say “brown,” well, there’s a lot of room for interpretation.
So, why is it that so often you
are ambiguous or generic with your goals?
I often hear that someone wants to be a “working actor.” Not to be crass, but that could mean that
you’re working in porn or in my home video for which I bought you a cup of
coffee.
In all seriousness, the lack of
specificity is one of the main reasons—perhaps the main reason—why you do not accomplish your goals. It is the main culprit in your requests not
being answered and your efforts not paying off.
It is the main source of your frustration and overwhelm, the reason that
you look over your to do list and wonder what to do first.
If you are so intent on achieving
your goals, why do you leave them ambiguous or back-pedal when you describe
them? For most people, the reason is that
you are afraid. If you commit to
something and then fail to achieve it, you might feel like a failure!
Leaving your goals vague is
safe. It gives you wiggle room. But it also prevents you from working to your
full capacity and enrolling those around you to help achieve your goals. In the end, though, leaving your goals vague
makes it nearly impossible to achieve them.
The irony is that the very thing that makes you feel safe—keeping things
non-specific—dooms you to failure before you even start.
So, what can you do? Read on for some ground rules on bringing
specificity to your goals.
1) Be as detailed as possible when you
articulate your goal while still being concise.
This can be very challenging, but remember, as you articulate your
goal, so you will accomplish it. If
you’re a director you might think you want to direct anything and everything,
but you don’t. What do you really want to direct. Say it loud and proud! You’ll be a lot more likely to direct
it.
Your specificity
will also dictate which avenues are most important to pursue. For example, the people who cast commercials,
theatre, music videos and television are all different. You can’t know all of them, so figure out
what you want to do, and then the list of people you need to cultivate
relationships with will become clear and manageable. It’s still challenging to meet and build
relationships with these powerful individuals, but at least it’s possible. It’s not possible to know everyone in
Hollywood, so narrow it down. Narrowing
it down starts with the specificity of your goal.
2) Check your language for non-committal words
and phrases. Look for words like
“try” and “hope.” Once you find them,
cross them out! Replace them with a
declarative statement, as in “By (DATE) I will (YOUR GOAL.)” Your commitment starts with your
speaking. If you aren’t fully committed,
how can you expect anyone else to commit to supporting you?
3) Eliminate milestones and to do list items
from your goal. Your goal is not
your to do list. It’s not the milestones
you must cross on your way to your goal.
Your goal is your goal, the end result.
So, take “clean
up my office” and “get new representation” out of your goal. Cleaning up your office is an item on your to
do list. It might feel like a goal
because your office is a mess, but it’s not.
Take it out of your goal, get some help to get it done, and then cross
it off your to do list.
Getting a new
agent is also not your goal. It’s a
milestone. It’s something that is
challenging, that you’ll need to accomplish on the way to your
breakthrough. Think about it, though,
did you come to LA or NYC to get an agent?
Do you face rejection everyday to get an agent? No!
You came here and you sacrificed because there is a kind of work that
you are committed to doing. You’re
committed to making movies, performing live, or working as a series regular on
TV, not to getting an agent. So, keep
the articulation of the goal to the kind of work you are committed to doing,
and you’ll be more inspired and motivated to do what it takes to accomplish
it.
4)
Make sure your
goal has a clear timeline. This is
where we often hedge our bets.
Don’t. Give your goal a date and
then see if what you want to accomplish is possible in that timeline. It might be hard, sure, but it needs to be
possible. You might find that you have
to rework your timeline once you’ve broken down the steps you must take to
accomplish your goal. Without a timeline,
however, your path for accomplishing your goal is unclear, and, say it with me,
non-specific.
5)
Make adjustments
when and if necessary. The point of
being specific is to create a structure for accomplishment. Do everything in your power to maintain the
goals you have declared. If that is
impossible or if you do not achieve it as declared, take stock, understand the
issues and set a new, specific goal.
In summation, as you articulate your
goals, so you accomplish them. As you
are able to share your goals specifically and powerfully, people will
understand them and see ways to support you.
Clear and specific steps will emerge.
Behaviors that have been hindering us will become obvious. Obstacles that were overwhelming will become
manageable.
With all of this to gain, is it
any wonder that specificity wins?
Shawn Tolleson is a career coach
with her company Strategy Coaching™.
Empowering you to accomplish the career of your dreams:
Strategy. Action. Breakthrough.
Join Shawn at her
upcoming Design Your Breakthrough Workshop at Actor’s Key on 7/21, 7/31, 8/8 or
8/20. Visit http://www.actorskey.com/search?q=shawn&x=0&y=0
for more info!
