Bright Shiny Object Syndrome

One of the great joys (and biggest curses) of being self-employed is the ability to consider other opportunities as they come you way and ascertain how well they might work in your business.  However, many entrepreneurs (myself included) love the idea creation/development stage but hate the follow-through, as we’ve already been distracted by the next opportunity or a new idea.  I refer to this as the Bright Shiny Object Syndrome, first heard from fellow business coach, Karyn Greenstreet, in her Passion for Business blog.

Just like small children and animals <g>, my attention (and the attention of many of my fellow business owners) is easily diverted by the next bright, shiny, object that comes into view.  The bright glare of the shiny object causes me to lose interest in whatever I’m working on at the moment, and makes me feel compelled to follow the shiny object in front of me, thinking that it leads us to new and exciting opportunities.

Sometimes it does lead to a great opportunity, sometimes the timing is bad for the opportunity, and many times it’s simply a distraction that lets me procrastinate on finishing a project that I’ve become bored with.

Such is the life of the serial entrepreneur.  Maybe I just need to wear a dark pair of shades to stay focused and protect me from the BSOS glare..LOL