Are You Suffering From Shiny Object Syndrome?

Our kids rarely get candy, but this was a special date so I figured why not.

While were there, I kept asking him if he wanted chips or anything else – like what he had said earlier.

He kept saying no, this is all he wanted.

I asked several more times, just to make sure… All no, no, no.

So I grabbed myself a few treats and we hit the road.

A few hours into our trip I pull out a bag of chips for myself, and instantly I can see Baron starting to eye my chips.

Finally, he asks me if he can have some.

I remind him that he had many opportunities to get some earlier, but was so distracted by the little candy toy, that he missed out.

Often, this is EXACTLY what happens in business.

We start off with these great ideas and goals, but the slightest shiny object and we’re distracted for the rest of the day.

And without discipline, getting and staying on track is incredibly difficult, and often cost us our goals.

And it’s not just positive, shiny things that distract us – often negatives too.

Some people are cruising down the road, and they see a wreck and they completely forget where they were going.

Like my son, distracted by the candy, completely forgot about the chips and snack pack – later to regret it.

Listen, business is hard. It’s challenging. It can completely SUCK at times. And there are going to be countless things pulling your attention away from your goal.

And if your discipline muscles are WEAK, you’re going to fail.

The number one skill an entrepreneur needs is discipline.

The discipline to stay the course.
To do what needs to be done.
To burn the midnight oil.
To prioritize their day.
To focus on the majors, not the minor.s
To do the hard jobs.
To make those calls.
To walk up to that prospect and shake their hand.
To be resourceful and find a way.

If you want to see your business through to the end, to the big pay day, to the big goal, you’ve got to be focused and exercise discipline constantly.

And the good news is that discipline is like a muscle, it can be trained. The more you use it, the better you get at it.

To your success,

Al