Jul 16, 2018
Shiny Object Syndrome And How To Avoid It
Shiny object syndrome is REAL. And something that will hit us all at some point as an entrepreneur.
OK it’s not anything to do with literal shiny things…but it may as well be.
It’s the idea of getting distracted by the next thing that we ‘need’ or ‘want’ that takes us away from the task at hand…until the next one comes along!
Shiny object syndrome is like entrepreneurial ADD. It’s one of the biggest and often most destructive things afflicting entrepreneurs left right and centre.
It Got Me Too
I was a HUGE sufferer of this particular affliction and ended up spending a fortune (we’re talking multi 5 figures here…not a small amount!) on all the things I absolutely NEEDED before I could move forward in my business. The reality was it just made me feel busy being busy, not achieving anything fast and feeling pretty stuck and frustrated.
A huge part of why this affects us is our own self doubt so it is a naughty little mindset gremlin disguised as something much more practical so can sometimes be more difficult to spot.
I needed the BEST course on Pinterest, Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, Memberships, Online Marketing, ALL the expensive systems, ALL the memberships, ALL the courses, ALL the tools (helloooooo Appsumo!) and if I didn’t have them then clearly my business was doomed to fail!
But what it actually did was, even though I had all these resources and training from the best of the best, it held me back from taking the action in my business that I needed to.
What’s Underneath The Shiny Object?
Underneath it all was a fear that I didn’t know enough and a feeling of HAVING to be in all the places, to have all the things, in order to be successful. But also excuses. Excuses to not do the hard stuff, to not push myself outside my comfort zone. Giving myself permission to not do the things that would absolutely get things moving.
If you don’t nip it in the bud it will cost you a fortune and WILL hold you back. It will keep you in a loop of being the eternal student when you could actually be making more money by focusing on things that will actually move the needle.
Often I see comparisonitis at the route of shiny object syndrome. That feeling of ‘if i’m not on X platform then i’m not good enough’ ‘if X entrepreneur that I aspire to be like is on X platform then I HAVE to be!’
Wasting time jumping on the next social media platform and following 20 different people essentially teaching the same thing from a slightly different angle but then getting TOTALLY confused about what the right thing to do actually is.
What Happens If You Don’t Sort This?
If you don’t get it in check it will mean you end up with a million ‘projects’ on the go but never finishing any of them or giving any of them a chance to start actually seeing results.
You’ll feel overwhelmed as your to do list gets bigger and bigger but nothing is actually moving.
Your strategy, plans and goals go out the window.
You’ll be seriously down on cashish too!!!
It works both ways too…for things that you buy that you ‘ABSOLUTELY NEED’ but also creating products and investing time and energy into things you absolutely ‘have’ to do or your business will be a failure…but you never actually give yourself a chance to get ONE THING right.
You’ll be a distracted jack of all trades….and master of none!
Any Of This Sound Familiar?
Everybody has an online course so I must have an online course.
Everybody has a membership site so I must have a membership site.
Everybody has a book so I must have a book.
Everybody has a facebook group so I must have a facebook group.
The list goes on.
You can see how it can be exhausting and keep you stuck but underneath it is often a lack of confidence in what you’re doing.
So tune into that.
When you feel the draw towards another product to buy or create ask yourself, what is underneath this? Do I have a fear? What is it?
Is this really right for my business? Would following it through be in line with my values and how I want to live my life?
Sneaky Sneaky Procrastination Gremlin
It’s also a very sneaky form of procrastination.
It’s disguised as productivity but actually it’s taking you away from your end goal.
You might FEEL productive but sometimes this shiny object can be just the ‘excuse’ you need to not finish the project that is really going to put yourself out there, that’s going to push you outside of your comfort zone but could actually drive the needle in your business.
So make sure you pay attention and look out for that sneaky mcsneakerson!
Is It Harder Than You Thought?
You might feel like when you start really trying something and realise it’s harder than you thought and you have a little meltdown and look for reasons (excuses!) to get out.
You’re always looking at the grass on the other side of the fence! Remember, ‘The grass isn’t greener on the other side, it’s greener where you water it!’
Remember you don’t have the whole picture, the bottom line is unless you’re a unicorn these things take time to work and grow. It’s very easy for other people to make it look effortless but the reality is often not as it seems.
But the worst thing is you start to think there’s something wrong with you. You’re doing all this work and not getting anywhere. You’ll be spinning your wheels!
You’ll never stick with anything long enough to actually make it work.
You’re expectations are that as soon as you start doing something it should deliver immediate effects, that’s something in the industry that is broken resulting in expectations that are too high and a feeling of impatience.
You feel like when you don’t have that result that the ‘unicorn’ you bought from did (when algorithms and the landscape were TOTALLY different to how they are now, for you….come on guys a little transparency would be nice!!) you feel like there MUST be something wrong with you.
Well…there’s not! You just need a little more focus and to get to those underlying thoughts and feelings that are keeping you there and prove to yourself that they aren’t actually true.
How Can You Stop This Getting In Your Way?
Don’t give up, don’t quit.
Have patience.
Exercise some self discipline.
Prioritise what will move the needle.
Stick to your goals.
Pick ONE person to follow in ONE field AFTER you’ve prioritised your platforms and where you’re at right now.
Don’t compare yourself to other people.
Reward yourself for completing tasks.
Be honest about what story you’re actually telling yourself. Look out for ‘If I get this course this will be the thing that I NEED’
Always KISS. Keep It Simple Stupid! I have to remind myself of this all the time, for the longest time I wasn’t sticking to anything, I was over complicating things and spreading myself too thin and that does NOTHING good to your mindset let me tell you!
Block out the noise and stay in your own lane. Do what you WANT to do, not what you SHOULD do and make sure you’re being honest with yourself when you’re looking for an easy way out and making excuses so you can stay inside your comfort zone.
You need to DECIDE.
Make a decision to STOP BUYING THE THINGS and DECIDE to focus on making one thing work before moving onto the next.
If you want to explore this further, have any questions or want some accountability then come join me in my private community below or book in a free discovery call to see if we’re a good fit to work together!!
Fx
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