Speaker: Hello,
and welcome to this
week's episode of
Unleashing Brilliance.
Today, I want to
dive into a topic
that affects so many
of us, particularly
those that thrive
on innovation and
creativity and being
ahead of the curve.
What I'm talking
about today are the
three deadly S's, the
shiny stuff syndrome.
We've all been there,
that magnetic pull
towards new ideas,
tools, and projects
that can often leave
us, wondering how
on earth we're going
to get something
finished and why
our actual goals
are no longer close
to being completed.
In this episode, I want
to dissect the three
deadly S's of shiny
stuff syndrome and
offer some actionable
strategies to help
you overcome them.
Now, some years ago,
I met an incredible
business owner and
entrepreneur, a
lady called Julia.
Julia was a dynamo.
She was known for
her innovative ideas,
her boundless energy.
And one day she
shared with me her
lady's project.
and her lady's project
was actually an app
that was all about how
to help people manage
their time better.
I get the irony
here, right?
The concept was really
solid, but every
single time we met, she
had this new feature
or a new design or
something new that she
wanted to talk about.
And the app was never
close to actually
being launched.
There was always
something else that
she had to include or
something else that
she had to have a
conversation about,
or something else
that she had to start.
And this was all
getting in the way of
her, Actually making
her magic happen of
actually completing
and launching this,
incredible app.
Julia was suffering
from what I like
to call shiny
stuff syndrome.
Yes.
She'd caught a massive
dose of the three
deadly S's each new
tech trend or tool
that came her way.
She felt compelled to
actually include it
in her app and she was
lost in a market of
endless possibilities.
so many of us have
been there, right?
So what we had to do
is we had to put a
hard stop on the work
that she was doing.
We had to start with a
real pause to reflect
on what her key and
core objectives were.
She needed to remember
her why, the very
reason she'd started
her own journey.
And we worked on
a strategy to help
her prioritize and
focus, treating every
single new idea like
window shopping.
You look, you
appreciate, but you
don't immediately buy.
You know, it's like
when you find yourself
on a diet, but you
find yourself in a
chocolate shop, every
single thing looks
tempting, but you've
got to remember what
your ultimate goal is.
It may be that you
want to fit into
some fabulous suit
or dress at your best
friend's wedding.
You don't necessarily
need that extra
chocolate.
You've got to
own the choice.
You need a strategy
to keep walking,
keep on walking past
that chocolate shop.
So the question is,
are you the one?
A bit like Julia, are
you constantly chasing
after the next big
thing only to find
yourself overwhelmed
and not really
getting anywhere fast?
Maybe your diary
is filled up with
jumping from one
thing to the next.
Maybe you've got loads
of things that you've
started, but you just
can't seem to get
anything finished.
If that's you,
you might also be
suffering from these
three deadly S's of
shiny stuff syndrome.
This disease of
distraction that
plagues so many of us
as business owners.
Think of it like
being a kid in a
candy store, but
instead of the sweets,
you're surrounded
with shiny new
business strategies.
You know, maybe
this is you, this
is your typical day.
You're, you're
scrolling through
social media feed.
I know that's really
hard, isn't it?
Not to scroll, but
you're scrolling
through your
social media feed.
And then suddenly,
bam, a new marketing
strategy pops
up promising to
revolutionize
your business.
And without a second
thought, you dive in.
It may be that one of
your worthy rivals,
as Simon Sinek calls
them, one of your
competitors, you've
seen them doing
something on social
media and again, before
you know it, you're
off copying them or
trying to reinvent what
they're actually doing.
Before you know it,
another new shiny
opportunity catches
your eye and that cycle
repeats itself again.
But the impact
It can happen.
Your business, shiny
stuff, syndrome
is very real.
You know, here's some
of the things that I
find in my business.
when I find myself
following shiny
stuff, by the way,
I'm a Gemini too.
So it's like rabbits.
I don't know if I go
in a totally different
direction, but the
reality is the cost
of shiny stuff.
Syndrome is real.
First up, We, um, seem
to have an inability
to actually finish
projects where hopping
from one project to
the next, never really
pausing to collect
data or analyze what
is truly working.
The second thing I
see happening is many
of these ideas that
we have, that we're
trying to put into our
business end up being.
Poorly planned ideas
without alignment
to your true
business goals, your
strategies can become
quite wishy washy.
third thing I see with
many of my clients
that suffer from
shiny stuff, stuff
syndrome, gosh, try
saying that quickly.
Shiny stuff syndrome
is that they end up
burning through cash,
following every single
new idea, investing
with every genius that
promises to be able to
turn your world around.
And they burn through
cash because they're
not investing wisely.
You might be scattering
your resources
broadly, hoping that
something will stick.
And finally, if
we're not careful,
we hit this point
of stagnation.
As you flip flop
behind ideas or
between ideas, your
business stagnates.
You might confuse your
potential clients and
leads start drying up.
It's a bit like.
Going into a
gym, right?
Every, every time you
walked into a gym, you
tried out a different
workout routine without
really sticking to
any particular plan.
You know, one day
you might do yoga.
The next day it's a
heavy lifting session
followed by some
random dance class.
Yes, you're
doing stuff.
You actually
are at risk of
confusing yourself.
You might even pull
a muscle or two and
you never really see.
Any real progress,
the cost of shiny
syndrome, shiny stuff
syndrome is very real.
And it's very real in
this entrepreneurial
world that we
are operating in.
There's lots and
lots of stuff being
done, lots and lots
and lots of movement,
but no real gains.
So if this is you,
if you are finding
yourself struggling
with the three deadly
S's of shiny stuff
syndrome, I want to
give you a couple of
ideas to focus on.
it's time to
really explore some
strategies that To
help you, ensure that
you stay on track.
Now, Brendan Bouchard
wrote an amazing book
about this called The
Motivation Manifesto.
I love this book.
And he talks about
the fact that
every single person
has some form of.
The first spark of
motivation, he says,
is this ambition, the
ambition, the belief
that you're going
to build a business,
you're going to launch
a product, you're
going to hit seven
figures, whatever it
may be, we all have
an ambition and he.
Suggests that the
second big phase of
work is expectancy.
So we believe that
we can, you know,
New Year's Eve is
a classic example
of this, isn't it?
I'm, I'm going to run
a marathon this year.
I'm going to
not work at the
weekends this year.
We set the ambition
and at a certain moment
in time, we have an
expectancy that we can.
And Brendan Bouchard
argues that the
ambition and the
expectancy Things
that create that first
spark of motivation.
Now, I reckon that
ambition and expectancy
are also the things
that create the
first spark of shiny
stuff syndrome.
And there's a third
piece that we have
to think about and
consider and be
intentional about to
ensure that we actually
gain momentum towards
our ultimate goals.
And this third
piece that will
ensure sustained.
and focused activity
and delivery, leverage,
and achievement of your
goals is attention.
Expectancy and
ambition are awesome.
They're the very
things that kick off.
the activity that's
needed, but without
attention, without
focusing and being
intentional about
attention, I think
this is what fuels
shiny stuff syndrome.
And so actually
what we need to do
is four key things.
We've got to
pause, we've got to
communicate, we've
got to measure,
and then sometimes
We've got to quit.
So let me just
talk through these
four key things.
So let's kick
off with pause.
If you find yourself
at risk of following
shiny stuff syndrome,
the first thing I want
you to do is pause.
Give yourself that
moment before you
jump in and say yes.
Pause, give yourself
a moment to sit with
any new ideas, any
new shiny thing that's
coming your way, give
yourself a moment
to sit and to pause.
And I would suggest
that if it's not a
hell yes, this is
the very thing that's
going to help me
achieve my goals,
then it's probably.
So first thing I want
you to do is pause.
The second thing
before we take any
action is communicate.
And this is where I
want you to tap into
your inner circle,
that trusted board
of advisors that you
have around you, that
network that you have.
Of trusted people whose
opinions you value,
the people who, you
know, are not going
to say yes, just to
make you feel good.
They're going to
really challenge
your thinking.
And in this space,
it's about talking
through with those
people, your ideas,
talk it through, share
with them what you're
thinking, explain to
them why this idea is
aligned to achieving
your overarching
goal, and then listen.
Listen to their
perspectives, listen
to their questions,
listen to their
challenging because
you're in a circle are
the very people that
can provide you with
invaluable insight and
prevent you from making
any hasty decisions.
So step one, pause.
Step two, communicate
the third one.
Then if you are going
to do the very thing
that you've decided to
do is to measure, it's
so important that you
decide and you define
what success looks like
for every single new
venture that you're
going to undertake
this measure criteria.
This definition of
success, and this
is where this paying
attention is so key,
pay attention with
every single result
that you are getting as
a result of the thing
that you are doing.
This will help you
stay focused and
measure your progress.
Effectively in my
elevator in the inner
circle community, we
do this every single
day, every single
week and every single
quarter, every single
quarter, we decide
what our measures
of success are.
We then plug them
into an accountability
dashboard so that
every single week
my clients can
measure whether the.
Effort that they're
putting in the work
that they are doing
is delivering the
results that they want.
Measuring your activity
is key because it's,
this is the very thing
that can show you
either what to stop,
what to start and what
to keep doing to ensure
that you are moving
towards your goals.
Now, the final
step here of.
Avoiding shiny
stuff syndrome is
quit knowing when
cut your losses.
Now I'm not saying
that every single
experiment, every
single thing that
you do, you quit.
That's not what
I'm saying.
But what I am saying
is that through the
last step of measure,
making a decision as
to what success look
like, and when to quit.
is key.
Knowing when to
cut your losses.
It's about sticking
to your long term
goals and adjusting
strategies as necessary
to remain aligned with
your ultimate vision.
So four things, pause,
communicate, measure,
and if necessary, quit.
These three deadly
S's, shiny stuff
syndrome, isn't just
about distraction.
It's a mindset that
can be mastered
with awareness
and discipline and
intentionality.
By staying focused
on your objectives
and resisting that
wonderful allure
of every new shiny
distraction, you
can actually forge
a path to a more
sustainable and
successful business.
Remember
staying focused.
Isn't about
avoiding new ideas.
It's not about avoiding
new ideas, but it is
about mastering the art
of selective attention.
Keep your eyes on your
prize and let the rest
of the noise fade away.
So until next time,
keep being brilliant
and don't let the
shiny stuff get in
your way this week.