My family has been here all summer, and yesterday they started heading back home; to the East Coast, Finland, and to China (that’s my exchange student). I found myself with some free time and decided to get something for my mother at a shop across town that has a few things she enjoys.
When I came out of the shop the sign for the show store next door caught my attention. I had been thinking about getting another pair of sandals before the summer was over. They are usually on sale this time of year, and it is also difficult for me to find my size sometimes.
The next thing I know an hour has passed and I’m line to purchase not one, but two pairs of shoes. The second pair was going to be 50% off, they had my size, and I don’t go this this part of town very often. These 3 reasons seemed like the perfect justification for spending more than a hundred dollars, when buying shoes was the last thing on my mind that day.
So, what does this have to do with building an online business? Everything. I was distracted by a sign in a shoe store advertising half off on the second pair of shoes. This is similar to the distraction you may feel when you receive an email or attend a conference where someone is pitching the latest great way to make money online. I justified my shopping by telling myself that it’s hard to find my size and I am not usually on the street where the shoe store is very often. You may spend money on something and then justify it for any number of reasons, all of which are probably true.
This is called the bright, shiny object syndrome and it has derailed many people from achieving their goals. They get caught up in something they were not even thinking about, and the next thing they know they have spent both time and money on something that will not get them any closer to their target than they were before.
Know that this is a real issue, and decide what you are going to do to build your business. Don’t let a well-written email, an interesting tweet, or a smooth talking person at a conference alter your course of action. You’ll be glad you stayed on track when you start making money.
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You just proved your point Connie. I was all set to write an article when the bright shiny object in your newsletter distracted me. And even though I knew I was being distracted, I was still drawn on into reading up to the end.
Point taken!!
A good post and a good point.
Hi Connie,
I enjoyed this post! I really appreciate how your “slice of life” posts so often touch me and, I can imagine, many other people too. I just bought a product, which I like. Of course in so doing I joined a list and have been receiving a barrage of e-mails about a product launch this week. I was tempted to buy-in to this glitzy offering even though there was a part of me that kept saying there is nothing substantive here just promises of making a lot of money. I did some muscle testing which confirmed what I really already knew, this is not for me. But I don’t always resist the seduction of shiny new objects, so I really appreciate this post which is helping to stay focused on what is moving substantively closer to my goals and dreams.
By the way after I decided, once and for all, not to opt-in to this “shiny object”, I ran across a recording of one of your teleseminars on social networking that I believe will be more helpful to me and requires no additional expense. Thanks for your consistency and generosity. I appreciate you for being a reliable and consistent resource for people seeking to establish and grow an on-line business. Thank you for all that you are doing!
By the way, I love the new look of this blog!
Appreciation and Blessings,
Charles
Thanks for pointing this out. I totally agree. This is probably the number one occupational hazard in our business as internet marketers. And this brings up the issue of having a teacher and guide you can trust. Great mentors can separate the wheat from the chaff, so you can avoid the shiny new objects thrown at you every day. Connie, not only am I a grateful student, I’m also a big fan. Thanks for all your help, wisdom, and guidance!
I feel the same way as Lou Fuentes. I’ll add that the “Bright Shiny Object” syndrome comes into play with me in regards to social networking connections. It’s sometimes difficult to know where to draw the line. I get tons and tons of invitations to teleclasses, webinars, meet ups, and live training events from people I deem true experts and professionals. Yikes! There’s only so many hours in a day. Every time I take a breath, it seems, in rolls another enticing message to download a free ebook or report or an invitation to participate in something. I guess the resolve is to simply start unsubscribing to ezines, etc., and make the effort to clean out my social networking closets. 🙂
I responded to this post when it was first published but for some reason my reply hasn’t shown…
At the time I was finishing off checking my facebook account and setting myself to do some website work when I caught sight of your “bright shiny object” posting.
Needless to say, I clicked the link, read yoiur article and succumbed to the very thing you were posting about.
What a great lesson to learn! I’ll be more disciplined in future.
Indeed. I second (thrid?) Lon and Melanie’s comments – and of course yours. Very well put.
I’m very distractible to begin with, and sometimes I’m utterly paralyzed with the options that are out there, or on my computer. Sigh.
And yet, it often seems oh so justifiable — I know exactly what you mean with hard-to-fit shoes — I wear 7EE and they have to fit orthotics and be really well cushioned to work for me, so I’m rarely tempted to buy shoes, but when I do find some that fit AND feel comfortable — watch out. There’s only one brand that really works well, and I have now found a source online, where I can buy them as I need new ones.
A lesson to transfer to my internet marketing efforts…
Thanks!