All shiny objects aren’t bad. If you saw my crystal collection you know I love shiny things too! But too often entrepreneurs find themselves getting distracted by Shiny marketing strategies that keep them from working in their business, but constantly working on their business.
When we feel like we have a problem that needs to be solved it takes up our thoughts and our energy until we have a solution. When we take action towards solving this problem we feel the weight of this problem lift and we feel better.
Shiny objects temporarily make us feel better. They give us the illusion of problem solving a problem, while we figure out what actions we really need to take or avoid doing the work that will actually solve our problem.
This is how we can end up buying courses, downloading freebies, and investing in the wrong things only to still have the same problem.
This is why entrepreneurs end up spending months, or even years preparing for the business they really want instead of having the business they want.
The initial action give us a little hit of dopamine because we think we are making progress in solving our problem, but it’s short lived because this things don’t actually solve problem and give us the results we want.
When I first officially transitioned into coaching from design I was scared. I wondered if I would fail. I questioned if I had made a huge mistake and if clients would trust in me to mentor them. I wanted something more than my experience and expertise to attract clients. I started working with my mentor and Shaman on how to use my spiritual tools in my coaching. I was also reading everything I could about NLP and looking into certification. Then, I realized what I was really looking for was confidence and validation in my coaching skill so I could market my business and get clients.
I was avoiding the feeling of failure by trying to build my confidence with more certifications and tools. When I realized that I was chasing a shiny object I stopped because I knew that this wouldn’t really solve my problem and would only delay my success. I was preparing for the business I wanted instead of practicing in the coaching business I wanted.
I faced my fears and focused on getting clients, instead of preparing to get clients, and began to feel successful in my new business. Doing the work is how you actually build confidence. It the experience of doing things imperfectly, trying again, and continuing to show up that cultivates true confidence in your work. That confidence and attracts more clients and scales your business.
Two years later, I am now certified in NLP, Hypnosis, TIME technique and more. The difference is I didn’t use these certifications to create confidence by validating myself as a coach. These are all tools that make me EVEN BETTER at what I do. I use these techniques to break down limiting beliefs and fears (just like I had) that are holding my clients back from taking action(like going after shiny objects) and attracting more clients.
In fact, I big part of my job and success as a coach comes from my skill at not only creating marketing strategies that get results, but keeping my clients focused on putting consistent action behind these strategies.