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No, it’s not a love of jewellery or other sparkly things! Bright Shiny Object Syndrome prevents you from focusing on what’s in front of you, what’s most important to you, as you are distracted from what matters by chasing after shiny objects, in other words, ideas, concepts, projects or opportunities that seem exciting, new and are just more tempting that what you are doing right now.
It’s called shiny object syndrome because it’s the grown-up equivalent of a small child chasing after or collecting shiny objects. Once they get there and see what the object is, they immediately lose interest and start chasing the next thing. For career changers like you, rather than literal shiny objects, they may be other passions, other career paths, irrelevant development books, training courses you don’t need, social media strategies you are not ready for, or other business ventures not aligned with your goals
Bright shiny object syndrome can show up in a few different ways on your career change journey:
THE SQUIRREL MOMENT
A squirrel moment is to suddenly start talking or thinking about an entirely new subject or to go after a somewhat related or irrelevant course while neglecting the main goal.
When changing careers this could be when you have decided to make one of your passions as a career happen and are working towards it, and then you hear about an exciting opportunity to do with another of your passions. Because it is new to you it seems far more interesting than the path you are already on. After all, not everything to do with your career change will be exciting and you may feel frustrated in how long it's taking or you may find it challenging. The new thing will often seem easier and quicker than what you’re already doing, and maybe it is, but is it right?
Occasionally the bright shiny object you have seen is the right thing to follow, but in my experience, in most cases, the shine wears off eventually and proves not as easy as you first thought. So you end up going back to plan A, but you have lost the time and momentum you had created.
THE BUTTERFLY DISTRACTION
The next way it can show up is The Butterfly Distraction - Butterflies drift from flower to flower, trying the nectar in many plants. They never rest for long at one location, always moving on, attracted by the bright colours of the next flower.
In other words, they have multiple bright shiny objects pulling them in different directions. They may eventually land back on the original flower they started with but not for long! Now for butterflies this is ok, because they get what they want and need from every flower. Although, I can't help but wonder if they are using more energy than they needed to by not just staying at the first plant and finishing all the nectar there before moving on!
When you have this type of bright shiny object syndrome, you have multiple things you need to do, but rather than do them in some kind of order you move around different tasks because maybe you get bored or are frustrated by how slowly they are happening, or maybe you find something difficult so you move onto something that is easier to do. Everything you are not doing seems more shiny or attractive than the thing you are doing at the time.
For example, you may be researching potential careers that could involve your chosen passion when you jump forward to choose the project management software you will use because you love tech and planning, or you write your leaver letter because that indulges your desire for that escape you will make. Then maybe you butterfly back to whether you have chosen the right passion in the first place! You keep on hopping around and not actually getting anything completed.
THE MAGPIE
The last one I’ve called The Magpie. It is widely said that magpies steal anything bright and shiny and hoard it in their nests, whether that is true or not I don’t know, but this form of bright shiny object syndrome is all about hoarding but not doing! So as a career changer, you gather all the information you can on how to change, you join courses or memberships, you read all the books about it, you buy systems that will help your career change project, and listen to podcasts like this one.
In short, you gather all the bright shiny objects to you, in this case things that are new to you that will help you escape from your current job to your new life, but don’t actually do anything with them! It’s actually a form of procrastination, as you don’t take action but just enjoy looking at all you have gathered and feel just by having them near you are doing something, when actually you are not much closer to your goal than when you started.
WHY ARE WE DISTRACTED BY BRIGHT SHINY OBJECTS?
Well, it can come from many things but lack of belief and confidence in what you are doing can be a big reason. If you are not quite sure you should be doing what you’re doing or if you don’t feel confident enough to do a particular task, you allow yourself to get distracted, as then you never have to face it potentially not working. Or think maybe you are wrong and the thing you are distracted by is right to follow.
Another reason is that changing career is a project, it can be a short project or a long project but it's not something you can just decide one day and do the next. Like any project you will have done in your office job, there are stages and some are easier than others. It can take time and so if while you are working through them, you hear of something that might be easier or quicker it can be tempting to go after it.
Another reason is comparing yourself to others or fear of missing out. The thought that someone else is successful or happy in another career or business, make you compare yourself with them and you start to fear you are missing out on something and then suddenly…squirrel!! And you run off in a direction that you had not researched or planned for, and which may not get you to your big goal.
Finally, other people can tempt you to go after those bright shiny objects. Particularly if they think that what they are offering is better for you. So for example they may show you a new job in the corporate world that pays well, that you would be great at and would be far easier to go for than changing your career completely. It can be really tempting to start convincing yourself that maybe you don't need to leave corporate, maybe you should go after the shiny new well paid role, even though that would mean turning your back on your dreams.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU FOLLOW BRIGHT SHINY OBJECTS?
Well, maybe it will all work out and that squirrel is in fact a golden ticket and you were right to go after it. But what if it isn’t? Then you can be hit with some of the symptoms as a result of your rash decision. You can feel frustrated because you wasted time and momentum on the distraction, you may even feel stressed if the bright shiny object has taken you way 'off course'. And you can become overwhelmed as you have lost your focus and are not sure which way to go.
So it’s really important to have some tools and strategies to avoid the bright shiny objects when they appear and stay on track.
When a shiny object appears, don’t chase after it immediately. Think about it. Does it make sense to go after it? Would it be better to keep going forward as you are or this genuinely going to be something that will help you. Maybe it’s a direction you had not considered but actually would suit you much better. Or perhaps it only appears better or easier than your current chosen path. Just remember to take your time and don’t act on impulse. Leave it for a few while to settle in your head and consider what it means to change your course. That said, it will only be on rare occasions and after really considering it should you give up or postpone what you have been working towards. And that leads me to point 2, which is…
You need to pick your lane and then stay in it. If you have done the work to really discover what the passion that you love is, what you're good at, if what you want to do is needed and could you be paid for it, then you need to see it through. Focus on why you decided to go in that direction in the first place, how it's going to help you get what you want in life, what is your vision for the future? No matter the challenges or highs or lows, stick with it, it will be worth it when you reach your goal. If you then find that it’s not quite right then you can try another path, but see one idea through before you start following the next shiny thing.
Plan well and set strong goals and celebrate them so you really feel and know you are making progress. Other shiny things will be less glossy if you feel content and energised by what you are already doing. Follow the plan through, step by step, and don’t skip the more challenging bits to go for the easier more fun parts like a butterfly. Every step will be equally important. At the same time, don’t make your career change project plan too complicated, so that the bright shiny things that come along are more attractive. Make it easy for yourself and keep it simple.
Keep moving forward and taking action. That is the best way to stop being a Magpie. Magpies do plan and gather all they need but don’t do anything with it, so make sure you don’t sit on your nice new plan and just look at how pretty it is. Get moving and don’t worry about having all the tools and answers at the start.
Create a bright shiny objects box, your BSO box! This can be an online or a physical box, whatever you like. But whenever you have some new idea that you are tempted to follow, put it in your BSO box so you can go back to it at a better time. So if you have an idea for another career or business, or if you want to buy some equipment that you don’t actually need yet, or you have been told about a great course that is not relevant for now, you can add all the thoughts, ideas and opportunities to the box so you don’t forget them.
Accountability. Finally, the way to beat the distraction of a bright shiny object is accountability. Share your plans with trusted friends or people in your network, so they can help you avoid squirrels or being a butterfly or magpie. If you have a mentor or coach or membership group, they are ideal to keep you focussed on your plan, but just telling someone your plans will make you think twice before you speed off in a new direction or sabotage yourself by not moving forward or staying still surrounded by theory.
THE BOTTOM LINE IS...
You will come up against a lot of distractions as you work towards your dream career and life.
Some will be important and will be golden, and others just glisten like gold and are actually a waste of time. So it's important you can distinguish one from the other. If you are told about a seemingly exciting opportunity or begin to think another career path looks more enticing, take your time, and think on it, because Bright Shiny Objects are things that you chase mindlessly, without any investigation or research, but with thought and time they could turn into real opportunities or you will discover that you have had a lucky escape.
This is your life, your passion, your career and your future, so stay focused on your vision, and your goals and keep your eyes on the prize…a career and life you love and the success and happiness you deserve.
