This post is the first in a series following on my newsletter article “Don’t Just Do Something!” You may want to read that article first.  The link opens in a new window, so you won’t lose your place here.

What is it about bright shiny things?

Whether it’s something literally bright and shiny that attracts our attention, or whether it’s the lure of a new idea that’s apparently better than what we’re currently working on … there seems to be an impulse to move away from what we have in front of us, towards something new and different.

I’ve seen it in myself, and I see it in clients and friends.  And I know people who have this syndrome so badly that it’s had a serious negative impact on their businesses.

The bright shiny things syndrome is easy to slip into when you feel like you really need results.  If what you’re working on doesn’t appear to be accomplishing what you want or need – or if you’ve been working on it long enough that it’s no longer interesting (i.e., it’s no longer bright and shiny for you) – then something else that seems to have more promise can easily lure you away.

Bright shiny marketing things have an urgency to them that makes them all the more alluring, especially if you’re already feeling a sense of urgency about your marketing results.

Unfortunately, changing direction is confusing and exhausting.  It confuses you, muddies your efforts, and makes everything take longer.  Even more importantly, it confuses your customers and potential customers,  because your sense of clarity and focus (or lack thereof) is revealed in everything you do and say about your work. 

And if you’ve spent time and money on something (and time is money, even – perhaps especially – if you’re the one doing all the work), changing direction is a choice to consider carefully.  It may be the correct choice, but it’s never a choice to make suddenly, without stopping to see what’s really happening and what’s really true for you.

Are you turning towards the bright shiny idea because it seems more likely to get results than what you’ve been working on?  How real is that?

What are the long-term implications of changing direction?  How much money and time have you spent – and if you return to the project later on, how much more money and time will you spend re-engaging with the project and getting it under way again?

Just how important is the short-term need – and is your sense of urgency really justified? 

I can’t count the number of times I’ve jumped into something that sounded great (bright! shiny!), only to realize after hours and days of work that it wasn’t going to fly. 

Sometimes it was a great idea that wasn’t right for my audience at that time.  Sometimes it just wasn’t such a great idea after all.  And sometimes it was a great idea that needed time to mature and come into its proper place.

I’ve learned – the hard way – to stop.  To keep working on what’s already underway.  To pause, to wait, to ask what this idea really is and what it wants to be.  To allow the idea to develop at its own speed, showing me how it aligns with the bigger picture of what I offer and what my customers want.

Sometimes that waiting goes on for a while. 

I’m preparing to launch a new giveaway on my website (for newsletter subscribers current and future).  It’s something I outlined in a burst of inspiration over the New Year’s Day holiday.  So this idea is almost six months old! 

As bright shiny things go, that’s downright tarnished.

In terms of how it fits into the ways my business is evolving, it’s absurdly, beautifully perfect.  But I didn’t know that six months ago.   I didn’t even know it a week ago!

And because of how it fits into the ways my business is evolving, it will have a far greater reach and a far better impact for both my business and my customers than it would have if I’d finished it back in January and released it then.

How about you?  What bright shiny things are you considering?