Shiny Object Syndrome?

This is one of those posts that will be for me just as much as it is for you.

I’m  human just like you are…so I need to remind myself of these things too.

Anyway, I recently earned about a person who even Bruce Lee fears!

I will tell you about that person in a moment, but first let me ask you this:

Do you have shiny object syndrome?

Shiny Object Syndrome is a term we use in the entrepreneur space to specify a person who jumps from one opportunity to the next prematurely.

The person with this syndrome will probably be in the early stage of their first side hustle.

They are starting to see the power and freedom that side hustles provide, and will have their eyes opened to opportunities that they were blind to before.

Its a GREAT feeling!

With a rush of excitement and a bit of over confidence, that person will jump head first into the “new” opportunity thinking, that this will be easier, cooler, or more lucrative.

Personally, I totally understand this mindset, but it can be very dangerous, especially for those freshmen and sophomores in side hustle highschool

Why is this dangerous?

Well, that person has not mastered their original side hustle!

They have left the game with so much money on the table!

That means, they have not stuck with the side hustle long enough for it to bear fruit!

They have not developed their resilience muscles to keep going when times are tough.

That could be finical tough times, a slow season, a confusing or difficult problem, etc.

They just straight up abandoned their original side hustle, and there is a good chance that they were getting closer to really breaking through toward true success!

The allure of a new shiny object is REAL!

But the thing is, they are more prone to doing that again when the next shiny object comes along!

This is how you get stuck in this endless loop of trying and quitting.

Yes, I said quitting.

Ya see home slice, when you allow yourself to be distracted, you may never actually say you quit.

However, when you stop doing your original side hustle, what else would YOU call it besides quitting?

You may no have quit in frustration or anger, but you still quit!

The focus and commitment you need to succeed can not be rushed thru, nor can you just apply it in spurts.

You need to show up everyday, and a new side hustle may be a legitimate hustle, but currently, its a distraction.

Sometimes, life throws us curve balls, and they come in the form of a real, once in a lifetime opportunity…and in those cases (and only those cases), its okay to try to peruse your new side hustle.

Hopefully you will be able to do both, even if you have to slow down your original one.

However, most times, the new opportunity will be there once you get your main side hustle mastered and you are on mostly auto pilot….

once in a lifetime opportunities don’t come everyday!

And even when they do come, know that not all opportunities will be something you can take advantage of. Besides, other opportunities will come, I promise.

Anyway, getting back to Bruce Lee, he is quoted in saying:

“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who had practiced one kick 10,000 times.”   – Bruce Lee

It’s all about consistency and mastery of 1 skill.

You cant provide good value to the marketplace if you only get “sorta ok” at a few things.

The better you can master 1 skill, the more you set your self apart from the pack.

The more you set your self apart from the pack, the more money you will get.

Its that simple.

Tell me, when have you struggled with shiny object syndrome?