Success Requires Avoiding This Bad Habit

When Great Ideas Torpedo Progress

You may or may not have heard of Shiny Object Syndrome.  I hadn’t when I started learning about copywriting.  Would you believe that I still fell into the trap, even after reading about it early in my training?  I’ll tell you about that in a bit (it seemed logical at the time!)  But first, what is it?

Shiny Object Syndrome is a fancy way of saying focusing on too many things. 

It reminds me of an episode of The Profit where Marcus Lemonis turned around the clothing boutique, The Blues Jean Bar.  (He rebranded it as Denim & Soul in the process in Season 3, Episode 11.)  They expanded too fast.  They didn’t really pay attention to what was selling.  They added stuff they liked, rather than paying attention to what interests their target buyer.  He got them consolidated.  He focused on the parts that worked and created a solid process.

Let’s put it in non-business terms.  A new farmer bought a piece of land and moved in.  He’s determined to be a farmer and do everything farmers do.  So the next day, he goes and buys calves, pigs, goats, and chicks.  Tomorrow he plans to plow 25 acres of land to plant 25 different crops.

He’s new to farming.  He doesn’t have the infrastructure in place to scale up quickly.  He hasn’t tested the soil to determine if it's correct for the crops he wants.  He’s new to the processes for each “product.” 

Ok, so you and I wouldn’t do THAT.  

Yet SOS is sneaky.  For example, we need to be on social media.  If you try to do too many at once, you’ll find you’re managing social media with time for little else.  How many platforms are you familiar with?  How much time do you have to do ONE really well?  You can’t do one well if you are trying to learn how to be effective with six!

Shiny

Pick one or two and master that.  Each one plays different.  It’s how you play the subtle differences that makes or breaks your ability to create a raving fan base.  That’s a subject that requires study.  I haven’t even gone there yet because I need to focus on finishing my basic coursework.  (I'm happy to say that I'm very close at this point.)

When I started to learn about copywriting, I was so excited about the opportunity.  Did you know that learning new stuff creates a release of brain chemicals that make you feel happy?₁

Then the path got hard.  Life got in the way.  Hubby is starting a business (and I’m a partner.) If it wasn’t for an accountability buddy, and a large bill to pay off that lets me learn all things writing, I’d have quit … three times by now.  Fighting life and ideas and everyone else’s needs is hard.  

I couldn’t quit.  I need to write.  I love to help those who want to be helped.  I want to be supportive of those around me.  Yet I can’t bear to let my dream go.  It led to a crisis of decision – one I’ve returned to several times when it all feels impossible.

One way or another, I must dig deep and focus to make this happen.  I will find a way.  I’m following through with the commitments I have in place, and everything else can wait until I’ve assimilated this part.  I may need to choose to write in the field of my husband’s business.  This way my focus isn’t so divided. But I will write!

Are you starting too many things at once?  Pull back and slow down.  Focus on your main things.  Too many good things add unnecessary stress and impede progress.  

Are you going too fast?  Where are you spread too thin? 

_{1 http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/107006/chapters/Memory,_Learning,_and_Test-Taking_Success.aspx}