Shiny Object Syndrome

Shiny object syndrome is a disease of distraction.   It happens whenever something new and exciting comes along and makes you want to change the direction in your life, health, finances, etc.  

It’s similar to a young child who chases shiny objects.  Once they catch it, play with it for a bit, they lose interests and then search for the next shiny item.  Adults do the same, they search for the new trends, new ideas, new things to make them happy and it does temporarily and then they go on the search again.

Do you sometimes find yourself searching for the next new diet, or the next new business idea or even the newest cure for your health issues or disease?  Only to find yourself excited for the moment and then eventually ending up back where you were before or even more frustrated? Perhaps you have shiny object syndrome.

What’s the best way to combat this?  Priorities and goals.

Businesses, health, wealth, connections, love, community are not built over a day.  They require dedication and time. If you are constantly jumping from one thing to the next, it will be hard to build the life that you want.

Each year, choose priorities or goals that you want to focus on.  This way, when something new comes up, you can ask yourself, is this getting me closer to my goal.  If not, then you put it off to try another time.

When I was a student,  I had to prioritize my spending.  To combat shiny object syndrome, I made a 30 day rule on things I wanted to buy.  If I wanted to buy something, I would keep track on a list of what I wanted to buy and put the date 30 days later beside it.  In 30 days, I would look at the item again and decide if I still wanted/needed it. This cut down a lots of spontaneous spending.  If I still required an item, 30 days later, I would buy it at that time.

In my practice, I love learning and taking seminars.  There also needs to be a limit as well. Firstly, I need time to integrate what I learned into my practice and secondly, my family life would suffer if I spent all my weekends away on training.  Each year, I also decide which seminars I would take and which ones I need to evaluate for next year.

Is there an area in your life that needs more prioritizing?  Leave a comment below.

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