You Don't Need That Next Shiny Object

I think one of the biggest distractions when building an online business is what we often call shiny object syndrome. There always seems to be something new promising to make things quicker, easier or more profitable, and before we know it, we are looking at the next opportunity rather than concentrating on what we already have.

I certainly don't write this as someone who has never fallen into this trap, because I have probably done it more times than I would care to admit. It's very easy to think that the latest tool, course or method could be the missing piece of the puzzle, when perhaps the real missing piece is simply making better use of what we already have.

Are We Making The Most Of What We Already Have?

Wealthy Affiliate is a very good example because there is an enormous amount of training available on the platform, probably far more than most of us will ever completely work through. I have been a member for many years and there is still plenty of training that I haven't completed or could benefit from revisiting.

So perhaps rather than continually looking outside for more information, we should sometimes look at what is already sitting in front of us. Having access to training is one thing, but actually putting that training into practice is something completely different.

We can watch videos, read blog posts and attend classes, but none of those things will build our business unless we take action. Learning is important, but there comes a point when we need to stop consuming information and start implementing what we have learned.

Going Deeper Rather Than Wider

This is something I have been thinking about quite a bit recently, because I believe there is a lot to be said for going deeper with something that is already working rather than continually going wider. If we can see that a particular method is producing results, surely it makes sense to understand it better and become more proficient at using it.

There are so many different directions we can go with Internet marketing, including websites, YouTube, social media, email marketing, blogging and short-form video. All of these can work, but trying to do everything at once can easily result in spreading ourselves too thinly and never becoming particularly good at any of them.

That doesn't mean we should never try anything new, because Internet marketing is continually changing and we need to be willing to learn and adapt. However, there is a big difference between adding something useful to our business and continually jumping from one opportunity to another simply because something new has caught our attention.

My 30-Day Challenge Has Reminded Me Of This

I have recently been taking part in a 30-day challenge, and one of the things it has reminded me of is the importance of consistent action. Some of the tasks have involved things that I have done many times before, but interestingly, I have still found myself learning something from doing them again.

It's very easy to dismiss something because we think we already know how to do it, but sometimes going through the process again reveals something we have forgotten or shows us a better way. More importantly, it gets us taking action rather than continually thinking about what we should be doing.

Perhaps that is something we can apply to Wealthy Affiliate as well, because there may be training sitting on the platform that we haven't looked at for years or perhaps never completed in the first place. Instead of assuming we need something new, going back and implementing what is already available could be far more valuable.

Maybe We Already Have What We Need

There will always be another new tool, another new method and another new opportunity, especially with the speed at which technology and artificial intelligence are developing. Some of those things will undoubtedly be useful, but we don't necessarily have to chase every one of them.

Sometimes the things that build a business aren't particularly exciting or shiny. Creating useful content, helping people, making videos, improving our websites, building relationships and consistently following the training may sound fairly straightforward, but doing these things repeatedly can produce results over time.

Perhaps instead of continually asking, "What else do I need?" we should occasionally ask ourselves a different question: "What do I already have that I'm not making full use of?" For many of us here at Wealthy Affiliate, I suspect we already have far more at our fingertips than we realise. Sometimes we don't need the next shiny object. We just need to make better use of what we already have.

I'd be interested to hear your thoughts. Have you ever found yourself chasing the next shiny object when, looking back, you already had everything you needed?

Thank you for reading.

Roy