One of the greatest enemies to business success is Shiny Object Syndrome. You as an entrepreneur are probably highly creative, intuitive and optimistic by nature, and it's likely common for you to have a mind full of new ideas at any given moment. You see opportunity where many others don't and the trouble arises when you want to bring all of the ideas to life at the same time. It may also be difficult for you to say 'no' to pursuing a new idea or opportunity when it's presented because you love 'new' and 'exciting'! Some days you may feel you're chasing after many ideas at the same time while accomplishing no real progress on any one of them. In order to beat Shiny Object Syndrome it's important to pick ONE idea and focus your undivided attention on it. Of all the ideas you have in your head right now, which one has the potential to make you the most money? This is the idea you want to focus your complete attention, energy and resources on. Many other great ideas and opportunities will come your way as you work on bringing your best idea to life, but until that happens, keep a running "Great Idea/Opportunity" list where you can keep a record of these items for future attention. All of those great ideas and opportunities are useless to you if you can't bring them to full completion within an effective time frame. With your best idea at the forefront, decide on how to implement a structured plan. Map your plan into bite-size, manageable pieces and once done, focus your attention on completing the first step. Only once you have completed that step, move on to the next. Keep in mind, throughout the process distractions will surround you. When presented with an opportunity, albeit a good one, learn to say 'no' if it takes you away from your primary goal. It's often hard for entrepreneurs to say 'no' but chasing many ideas simultaneously will only put you further and further behind. So, where do you start today? Here's a brief guideline to help you along: 1. Make a list of all the ideas and opportunities on your 'to do' list right now. 2. Pick the one that will make you the most money and develop a manageable plan to complete it. 3. When distractions arise, ask yourself, "Will this bring me closer to my goal or take me further away from it?" 4. If they take you away from your primary goal, learn to say 'no'. 2006 Laurie Hayes - The HBB Source |
