Goal Setting: Specificity

Pursuing vague goals is akin to setting sail without a compass, leaving us adrift in our journey. Goals are meant to provide us with direction and purpose, and the more specific they are, the more effectively they can guide us. For instance, consider the common goal of losing weight. You can either write, "My goal for this year is to lose weight," or you can be more precise, stating, "I aim to shed 5 kg of body weight within 6 months by limiting my fine carbohydrate intake to 60g per meal and committing to 20 minutes of daily cardio exercise." Similarly, in the context of growing a coaching business, specifying what growth entails, when you aim to achieve it, who you'll collaborate with, where you plan to achieve it, and why it's important to you provides a clearer vision of your goals.

Asking What, When, Who, Where, and Why enables us to visualize our goals better, enhancing our understanding of the required actions and improving our chances of success. While goal setting is a crucial driver of personal growth and achievement, it's not solely about defining measurable outcomes.

To truly excel in your goal-setting journey, it's essential to delve into the realm of specificity, exploring not only the tangible results but also the necessary resources, potential obstacles, key stakeholders, and misaligned influences. Let's explore the multifaceted dimensions of goal specificity and how they can empower you to succeed.

1. Specific Resources
When you set a goal, it's crucial to identify the resources you'll need to achieve it. Whether it's financial capital, specific skills, access to information, or tools and equipment, knowing what resources are required will help you prepare effectively. You may not have all the resources at your disposal immediately, but recognizing what's needed is the first step towards acquiring or allocating them. At the same time, stay flexible and be ready to adapt alternative solutions and resources as overemphasizing specific resources may lead to rigidity in goal pursuit.

2. Acknowledging Weaknesses
Understanding your weaknesses and potential obstacles is a key aspect of goal specificity. It's common to encounter challenges on the path to your goals, and these challenges often stem from your own limitations. Take the time to assess your weaknesses honestly. Do you lack certain skills? Are there habits that need to be overcome? How much time will it take to address these weaknesses and turn them into strengths? By acknowledging your weaknesses and the time needed to overcome them, you can create a more realistic timeline for your goals. Some of our weaknesses may be inherent and require extensive time and effort to address, which can affect the feasibility of certain goals. We also need to balancing realistic self-improvement with goal timelines is key. Or resolving these obstacled by outsourcing for professional help. 

3. Identifying Supporters
No one achieves their goals entirely on their own. Recognizing your stakeholders, those who can offer support and guidance, is essential. Your network of friends, family, mentors, and colleagues can play a significant role in your journey. Identify those who can provide valuable insights, encouragement, or practical assistance, and engage with them as you work toward your goals. And if you have zilch supporters, you may need to rely on self-motivation or seek alternative sources of support, like online communities or mentors.

4. Managing Misalignment
In contrast to supporters, there may be individuals or influences in your life that are not aligned with your goals. It's important to identify these misaligned stakeholders as well. They might hold the key to your goals but may not share your vision or priorities. By acknowledging their presence, you can strategize how to navigate around potential conflicts or limitations they may impose. Or you may find common ground or ways to minimize any conflicts.

A Self-SWOT Analysis
To construct a 360-view on the specificity of your goals before you embark on your goal-setting journey, consider conducting a personal SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) with respect to your goals. This exercise encourages honesty and realism about your current situation. It helps you understand your advantages, limitations, potential avenues for growth, and external factors that may pose challenges. A SWOT analysis provides a holistic view of your readiness for the goals you've set and offers a starting point for addressing any gaps.


While SWOT analysis is a valuable tool, it's important to acknowledge that not all aspects of life and goal setting can be neatly categorized into strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Life is often more complex and dynamic, and some factors may not fit neatly into these categories.

A Controversial Approach: The Consolation Letter
Last and not least, one unconventional but powerful approach is to write yourself a "consolation letter" even before beginning your goal pursuit. This letter should outline the potential reasons for failure, but it doesn't stop there. Instead, it should offer pragmatic advice on how to reframe those reasons for failure into opportunities for growth and improvement. This approach is not about embracing failure but rather developing resilience and an "anti-fragile" nature. It prepares you to face setbacks with courage and joy, as each challenge becomes an opportunity to become a higher being, equipped to lead a more fulfilling and impactful life.

I understand that writing a consolation letter is a controversial advice; although an unique and powerful concept it may not resonate with everyone. Some of us may find it more effective to focus on positive reinforcement, visualization, or other motivational techniques. The key here is adjust your expectations with a dose of specific realism and think how to mitigate these realistic challenges if you encounter them. 

Goal setting goes beyond mere wishful thinking. The power of specificity, encompassing resources, weaknesses, supporters, and misaligned influences, is an indispensable part of the process. The SWOT analysis and the controversial yet transformative consolation letter are tools to help you develop resilience, flexibility, and a realistic understanding of your goals. As you embark on your goal-setting journey, remember that it's not about making the path easier but about equipping yourself to be a smooth operator who faces life's challenges with courage and joy, constantly evolving towards your highest potential.

Back to blog

Thrive Amidst Uncertainty

Feeling stuck in life or work? Uncertain about starting fresh? We all encounter moments of stagnation and uncertainty. At Coaching At 72 Smalldive, our coaching classes help you cultivate transformative mindset changes and habits, to break free from this inertia. Explore our methodology, and subscribe to our newsletter for essential insights to kickstart your journey to growth and fulfillment.

Our MethdologySubscribe Newsletter