“This is hopeless”
“I don’t know what to do”
“It just feels like I’m wasting my time”

Over the years I’ve worked as a consultant and trainer, I’ve noticed that a lot of people, myself included, lose their sense of control and power by being too general about their circumstances.

Whenever you feel a sense of frustration, failure or fear, the tendency is to go very general and make it seem like everything in your life is going badly. But rarely is this true.

Life is a balance of both good and bad elements at all times. It just depends where you direct your focus.

I believe that a great deal of power lies in being specific, especially at times when you feel overwhelmed.

For example, just recently I was having some big frustrations with my business. I had been working hard to grow our brand’s visibility, and wasn’t seeing the results I was hoping for. At one point I caught myself complaining that ‘This is pointless’.

But then I remembered to look at the specifics.

When I looked specifically at what I was doing, it appeared that I was taking all the correct action according to my marketing plan. In fact, when I looked closely, some small results were coming. It was simply a matter of time before the results would emerge. When I looked at the specifics, I was doing better than before I started.

This is an important life lesson to remember.

Whatever you are doing, there will be times when results aren’t what you anticipated or hoped for. It’s at these times you’ll often feel like making a general statement of defeat.

But instead, look at the specifics. Ask yourself:

– What specifically happened so far? (How, what, why, who, when)
– What is the reality (if you remove your emotions)?
– What have you learned so far from the experience?

Asking questions like these and drilling into the specifics can be very relieving. It gives you a sense of control and understanding. It removes the general feeling of frustration and redirects your focus.

The next time you feel a sense of frustration, fear or failure looming, try using the power of specifics to redirect yourself.

The Devil is in the generalizations.
The power is in the specifics.

PS. I now have a Facebook page with my latest writings and videos. I’d love to stay connected with you.