You open your email, scroll through your social feed, or take an unsuspecting call and BOOM, there it is:
The digital marketing platform that will target your perfect customer!
The productivity app that will make you a task-oriented superhero.
The once-in-a-lifetime advertising package.
The SEO genius who promises to fix everything wrong with your website.
The weekend course that will give you all off life’s answers.
These are what we call shiny objects.
I’m going to say something that might hurt a little:
Business owners are among the most gullible, easy-to-sell people on the planet.
There. I said it.
But you know what? It’s not because we’re dumb. It’s because we’re driven. And with our eyes constantly on the ball, we’ll do anything to move that ball forward. And when someone comes along with the right soundbite of an answer to our problems, we jump!
We call this Shiny Object Syndrome.
It comes in many forms, and everybody has it from time to time.
The problem is that most salespeople and products aren’t designed to meet your goals. They are designed to meet theirs.
We’ve learned to ask ourselves a very important question to diagnose S.O.S.:
Are we chasing this shiny object because it enhances our mission? Or because it distracts us from the hard work of our mission?
Gino Wickman points this out in the book Traction:
“When business owners get bored, there is always the potential for them to get distracted by the shiny stuff and inadvertently sabotage what they’ve created. Fading passion and losing sight of why you’re in business are other pitfalls that could lead to the same fate. Defining your core focus will return you to your original levels of clarity and excitement”
Ask yourself – Are you chasing this shiny object because it enhances your mission, or distracts you from it?
What will you allow the hours of your week be taken by?
What will you allow the hours of your team members to be taken by?
What will you say NO to?
What is the most impactful thing you can do to bring your core mission to reality?
Never forget that there is nothing that can impact your work more than you.
Cheers,
BW
