It started with copywriting. Then white paper writing. Then site content audits. Then Web3 writing. Then some other stuff. Before wending my way to email.
When I entered this new and strange world of marketing and copywriting…
I found myself constantly feeling like I need that course… I need that book… I need that software… I need to learn that strategy… no, that one.
On it went.
Until running out of money helped break the SOS cycle! 🤣
I’m talking about “Shiny Object Syndrome”.
You know?
Flitting from one thing to the next.
And justifying it with: “But it’s what I need to succeed!”
If you ask me, SOS is a plague amongst solopreneurs.
Probably rooted in FOMO.
Fear of missing out on making the big bucks (or any bucks!)
I reckon it’s rooted in a lack of confidence.
Because “Shiny Object Syndrome” is just Imposter Syndrome. With a touch of lippy.
Feeling inadequate causes pain. So we look for pain relief.
Flitting from one thing to the next. Buying another course, book, or template…
It’s retail therapy of sorts.
This distraction pulls attention away from the hard things that need doing.
The things that are causing a painful time while trying to learn and grow.
There was a lot of that pain for me. Particularly when I’d settled on my email marketing focus.
And there wasn’t the soothing dopamine gushing around my neurons from all the new and exciting stuff.
While no clinical psychologist will be diagnosing you or I with SOS any time soon…
It’s still very real.
And can be crippling.
I’ve had moments like that. And I see it in so many people in the groups I belong to.
Fortunately the solution is easy.
Although can seem so impossible.
It’s simply taking ACTION to move towards your goal.
(And getting clear on a goal first, if needed.)
It’s about leaning into it. Acknowledging you’re not the best. Or haven’t mastered things yet.
But doing the hard work anyway.
It’s about doing the boring, repetitive stuff to learn, grow, and build a business that will look after you.
And doing the things that will move your business forward.