Be Specific

I have a longstanding mantra about being specific, always purposing myself to be as specific as possible—that goes from prayers to orders at the drive through; one example is last New Year’s Eve. I was flying into Las Vegas New Year’s Eve night with my friend, Shana. A longstanding dream of mine that I would say aloud quite often was “I will see Celine Dion in Vegas for New Year’s Eve.” As we bustled through the lobby of the McCarran International Airport, I thought it was finally possibly an option. I was so close, I knew it could happen. Didn’t know how, but I knew it could and quite possibly would!

Caught up in my own visions of grandeur, I snapped out of it and into a fit of laughter as I realized, my “dream” had come true. Here I stood in the airport lobby– next to a cardboard cutout and brochure display of none other than the Celine Dion. That which I had spoken aloud was here— although a few important details (like “live in concert”) made all the difference of what was manifest.

While it made for a great laugh, the experience made me realize the importance of being specific. But why are we so scared to say what it is we want? We want to be as definite as possible, but not box ourselves into having nothing.

You have to get specific. How else can the Universe, or moreover, people, help you if you aren’t specific? Getting clear on an intention helps us understand what an intention actually is. As we become more conscious of what we’re thinking about and discussing and expressing, we start to get clearer in our intentions.

I understand why we don’t sometimes declare what it is we want. We evade our hopes because saying it makes us feel vulnerable or receptive to ridicule or puts us out there in a very real way.

But I say if you’re too scared to say it, how can you achieve it? The Universe isn’t judging your dreams. No one is actually. (Except for those people who are too scared to actually live theirs!) But if you don’t get clear, then what you end up with are lots of hits-and-misses, lots of confusion, lots of mixed signals, and a cardboard cutout of Celine.

A helpful way to get over the hump until you get clearer is to work with intentions that don’t get you so worked up. I call them “bite-sized pieces.” Taking your dreams in manageable chunks as to not overwhelm yourself. All of these are more specific than continuously doubting yourself, while simultaneously make you feel better along your path.