I always wanted to be somebody, but now I realize I should have been more specific. – Lily Tomlin
If all you asked for was a dependable way to get from here to there, this might be the vehicle for you. My Aspen wasn’t quite this bad, but it was close. Be specific!
What does that mean?
As this is a quote from a comedienne, you expect it to be funny. However, there is, as with all good humor, an underlying truth hiding inside. In this case, it’s about specificity, or more precisely, the lack thereof.
She states that she always wanted to be somebody. The implication is that she now has managed to become somebody. However, there is also the implication that the somebody she became wasn’t exactly what she had hoped she would become.
By being more specific about what she wanted to become, she could have been a little more specific when it came to making decisions about her future. By knowing her destination, it would have been easier to get to where she wanted to be. By saying “over there,” well, she got “over there,” only it wasn’t quite where she thought she wanted to be.
Why is specificity important?
Specificity, or the act of being specific, allows you to know exactly what you want. It might not help you with every decision, but it will help in some of the key decisions, if you can ask which choice will get you closer to your very specific outcome.
When you’re looking for a date, do you say “breathing” or do you have something more specific in mind? When you’re thinking about a career, do you think “doctor” or something more specific, like “cardio-thoracic surgeon?”
If all you wanted was the former, you might end up the latter, but if you intend to be the latter, you might choose a class in the pulmonary system over the endocrine system in children. If you know where you are going, it’s a lot easier to get there, right?
Where can I apply this in my life?
I know it’s not polite to answer a question with a question, but it’s the best way I know to make my point, so… How would you answer this question: “What do you want to achieve in your life?” Or: “How will you know you have succeeded in life?”
They are basic questions, and very much related to your quality of life. If you know exactly what the answers are, and with at least a moderate level of specificity, you are doing fairly well. If your answer was more of a grunt and some vague generalizations, it’s going to be a bit tougher getting there, isn’t it?
Does the quote make a little more sense now? Does the importance of specificity mean a little more to you? It might be going a little bit overboard to say that you want to be the Chief of Surgery of the Cardio-Thoracic Surgery at Bethesda, but if it helps you make the right decisions, I certainly won’t try to talk you out of it.
But this isn’t just about what you want to do with your life, or big life goals. Something as simple as what you want in a car could prove important. Once, when I was desperate for some wheels (and that was literally my only requirement), I ended up with a rusted out beater of a Dodge Aspen.
I imagine if I had been a bit more specific about what I was looking for, I may well have dismissed the Aspen without a second thought, instead of taking it home. A similar scenario is often seen in bars across the globe at closing time. Or at least that’s what I have been told.
What are you presently looking for or trying to find in your life? Write a few of them down, and then look at them. Are they so vague that they sound like “I’m trying to find happiness”? To me, that sounds a little too broad of a task to be easily accomplished. If you had to chose between camping out or going to a concert, would that question help you decide?
If you really liked waking to a gentle rain on a tent roof, or the sound of birds chirping, you might want to re-write your statement to sound more like “I’m trying to find happiness by communing with the great out-of-doors and nature in general.” If that’s where you were looking for happiness, the decision would be easy, you’re not going to the concert, right?
Take a look at what your list and see what you can do to be more specific about what you are trying to accomplish. Even if you aren’t sure, take a guess, and revise it later if you find out you’re allergic to pine needles, most flowers, or many insects. Then you could consider camping in oak forests, or perhaps start a green house in your back yard instead.
There are many things you can do, and many paths to get there. But if you don’t know where you are going, how will you know which way to turn when you get to your next decision? A little specificity may make a difference, and help you find your way to where you want to go.
From: Twitter, @inlifeawareness
confirmed at : http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/l/lilytomlin109612.html
Photo by Teosaurio
