The truth about shiny object syndrome...
Forbes recently called "shiny object syndrome" the biggest problem for entrepreneurs today.
"It’s never been harder to avoid shiny object syndrome because there have never been more shiny objects", wrote Jodie Cook.
The general consensus among "gurus" is that shiny object syndrome is caused by a lack of discipline and a desire for instant gratification.
But the truth is a little more nuanced.
To reveal the root cause, let's use an example outside of business.
Take commodities...
Flour.
Most people buy cheap flour.
They jump from one brand to another, week after week, based on price.
"Cheap flour syndrome"...
What about consumers that stick with one brand, and refuse the latest cheap flour offer...
Why do they behave like that?
For example...
5 lbs of Walmart flour costs $2.37.
Look at this 5 lb bag of King Arthur flour sold on Amazon:
Over 2,000 customers bought this instead of cheap generic flour in the last 30 days.
Why did they pay nearly 10x more to buy this flour online?
Look at some of the reviews to understand their rationale:
"my breads come out fantastic when I use it..."
"Wonderful tasting flour for everything! It's all I buy..."
"This is my favorite whole wheat flour. It's organic and unbleached and I've never had a bad bag of King Arthur..."
"I've used King Arthur flour for years -- it's consistently the best..."
"Best quality as always, wouldn't waste my money on any other organic flour..."
"I’ve had perfect breads every time. Most whole grain flours are a little edgy some of the time. This flour is perfect every single time!"
In a word: conviction
These customers firmly believe that this flour is the key to get the results they want.
So they stick with it.
They don't even want to try a generic brand of flour, even if it's 10x cheaper.
This is just one reason that King Arthur makes 135 million dollars a year selling their premium flour for premium prices.
Now, back to shiny object syndrome...
By definition, someone who jumps from idea to idea, product to product, tactic to tactic, isn't spending much time developing a deep conviction about what they're doing.
We deal with this in module 1, because it's foundational to every other aspect of your business.
It's important to develop conviction about where you are and where you're going...
As Lewis Carroll said, "If you don't know where you're going, any road will get you there."
Conviction about where you are, where you're going, and the road to get there is the antidote for shiny object syndrome.
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