“Broad ideas influence more people.
Specific ideas influence people more.”
James Clear
I am hoping one day to have a consistent YouTube channel.
They operative word being “consistent”, as I have several YouTube channels, but none of them have a sequence of video releases that has gone more than a dozen or two long before fizzling out.
Consistency isn’t really the topic here though. The topic is the topic.
A lot of people used to say “the riches are in the niches”. The idea being that in order to create a following and build an audience you have to “niche down” and appeal to a very specific demographic.
Within UX (User Experience Design) this is also considered true. When building a user persona, the more specific you can be with the target audience, the better your marketing (images, copy, format, etc.) will have an effect.
If your goal is to have an impact and to influence people, then the more specific your message is the more effective it will be. And “message” isn’t just the words, but it is the entire presentation from what you say, how you say it, and to whom you say it.
But this isn’t just related to marketing and sales and online platforms. If you are sharing an idea with a friend, or you are at work and are talking about something with a colleague, then think about creating a more specific idea in what you want to say.
Or, just in the way we talk to ourselves, we can be more specific too.
“I wish I had more money.” = general idea
“I’d like to create a secondary revenue stream that generates $2k / month.” = specific idea
Generality creates wishes. Specificity breeds action.
Also, the more specific you are, the more you are inclined to live in the present moment and be mindful of your surroundings.
For example:
“The weather has been pretty nice the past week.” = general idea
“Look at how the sun is peeking through those clouds.” = specific idea focused on the present moment.
It is good to have a general idea of where you want to go or what you want to do, but it is equally important to express those desires as specific thoughts with mindful intention and a focus on the now.
Photo by Jonas Allert on Unsplash