Do you want to become an unstoppable business leader?
Many of us strive for the lofty goal of becoming a determined and inspiring leader, and yet we’re too bothered by what other people are doing to concentrate on our own success. We’re too easily distracted by the simplest of things to achieve anything worthy of our potential.
Are FOMO (fear of missing out) and shiny object syndrome (easily distracted) preventing your business success?
What is FOMO?
FOMO stands for “fear of missing out.” We all know the feeling. Over three-quarters of young people say that they experience FOMO themselves.
Still not sure what FOMO is? One definition of FOMO is: The uneasy and sometimes all-consuming feeling that you’re missing out. This is further explained as the feeling that your peers are doing, in the know about, or in possession of more or something better than you.
With social media at every turn, there is so much to “miss out on”.
What is Shiny Object Syndrome?
It is not only the FOMO phenomena that’s upending the world. There is a new kid on the block making life difficult for aspiring leaders.
The “shiny object syndrome” is when you’re easily distracted by things all the time. This is compared to small children running to look at all the new a shiny objects they see in a store. It’s a particularly common problem among entrepreneurs and creative leaders. Your passion and enthusiasm for new ideas can be both a good and bad thing.
However, the disease of being easily distracted is not reserved for just a few people.
Surveys show that over 70 percent of workers say that they’re distracted when they’re at work.
Up to 16 percent of people say that they’re nearly constantly distracted. This is a huge problem if you want to get anything done. Are you constantly distracted yourself? Do you want to lead people who are under the spell of the shiny object syndrome?
These modern-day maladies plague many of us, but they needn’t. Here’s how you can overcome these 21st-century challenges.
How to overcome these 21st-century challenges
Despite the power of the world around you, remember that you can be in control. Here are 11 practical principles you can apply to your life to help you become the unstoppable leader you desire to be.
1. Ignore What Other People Are Doing
It is easy to allow other people to influence your decisions. Perhaps your friend thinks you should follow a career in finance. While your mother has always encouraged you to become a lawyer.
Many young people examine the career paths of successful people. There isn’t a single path to achieve your goals.
You don’t want to wake up years later to discover that you have been a passenger following someone else’s journey.
Being a leader is about making up your mind and being decisive. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t consult other people’s views. However, you should never lose sight of the fact that it’s your life decision to make.
2. Be Skeptical of Other People
You may hear helpful advice from other people. It is always recommended that you gather the insights and ideas of trusted people around you.
However, always take the suggestions of other people with a pinch of salt. If you want to be an unstoppable leader, you cannot be easily led.
Sometimes, the “shiny object” can be presented for you by a smooth-talking entrepreneur or with a sympathetic “rags to riches” story.
Be aware that everyone’s trying to sell you something. You should always remain skeptical of what other people say.
3. Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
FOMO is caused by the “voice” inside our heads that says we’re making the wrong choice. Everyone else is doing something contrary to us. Therefore, logically, we’re must be doing it wrong.
You need to discover the confidence within yourself to realize that you have the capacity to make the right choices.
How do you achieve this kind of confidence?
The answer is to put yourself in challenging situations. This could be traveling the world by yourself. Or, launching your company on your own terms.
Even when you make mistakes, you’ll dust yourself off and pick yourself up again. You can only gain the confidence to overcome self-doubt by getting out of your comfort zone.
4. Avoid Social Media as Much as Possible
“How does he always have a better time than me?” “Why does she always look amazing?” “They always seem to be on vacation, why can’t I do that?”
Doesn’t everyone’s life look better on Facebook or Instagram? We know it. And yet, it’s hard to remind ourselves of this.
We cannot avoid comparing our lives to other people on social media.
According to one study, social comparison is nearly inevitable when we scroll down our Facebook newsfeeds. We end up raising our expectations beyond what is realistic.
The average person spends up to two hours per day on social media. If you want to recover from your FOMO affliction, you should drop social media.
If you need social media for work, then you can always limit yourself to 30 minutes per day. Don’t overstep the rule!
5. Turn off your smartphone
If you’re not scrolling down Facebook on your laptop, you’re chatting to friends on your smartphone.
The average person spends more than four hours on their smartphone. In many cases, they never put it down.
Have you ever looked around yourself on public transport? You’ll notice that everyone has their head faced down at their smartphones.
Next time you’ve got a task to do in front of you, don’t just put your smartphone down on the desk: Turn it off!
6. Look inwards not outwards
When you’re on Facebook looking at photos of other people’s lives, you’re looking outwards.
This isn’t the way to succeed as a leader.
You need to stop thinking about what others are doing all of the time. Instead, you need to focus inwardly at yourself.
7. Pay attention to the real world
When we’re thinking about the “fake” lives of other people, we forget to pay attention to the real world. Rather than thinking about the “real” people in your life, you concentrate on the “fake” people online.
8. Practice mindfulness
When your concentration becomes distracted by the “fake” world, you stop being aware of what is happening around you.
You can heighten your awareness of your surroundings with mindfulness. The practice of mindful meditation and yoga has skyrocketed over the past six years.
The health benefits of mindfulness are well-known, from fighting anxiety and depression to improving blood circulation. Mindfulness can also help to conquer your FOMO and shiny object syndrome. It teaches you to be in the present, which stops you from getting carried away.
9. Always see things through to completion
Flawed leaders can get distracted by the next “big” thing. You always want to be at the cutting edge of your industry. So, when a new “shiny” prospect emerges, you drop everything and chase after it.
This isn’t how an unstoppable leader behaves. You need to resist the temptations to move onto the next project. Instead, ensure that you have seen things through to completion before you think about anything else.
10. Sit on your ideas before launching full steam ahead
You could be an inspiring leader, however, you could be the worst planner ever.
If you always get excited about a new idea, you could rush ahead without thinking carefully about the considerations. Your mind could be racing with thoughts like, What are we waiting for? We need to get going.
And yet, if the idea is good enough. You don’t need to rush it. Take your time to reflect.
11. Don’t allow other people to dilute your vision
Leadership is about having a vision that can bring people together.
You need to be confident in your vision if you’re going to be able to convince other people to follow you. You can learn more about the ancient art of persuasion from me, our foundational training and coaching process is based on one of the 21st century’s great sales and leadership speakers and trainers, Brian Tracy.
Therefore, you shouldn’t allow other people to influence your vision too much. It may not actually help.
Remember the saying: A camel is a horse that is designed by a committee. You don’t want to end up with a camel when you wanted a horse.
Overcome FOMO and Shiny Object Syndrome – A Leader’s Biggest Challenge?
What’s the biggest challenge of the 21st century for budding leaders? Some people say artificial intelligence or AI. Others may say climate change.
But, what about FOMO and shiny object syndrome? If you can’t stay focused on what’s truly important, you’ll never be able to achieve your goals.
Follow our tips to withstand the most distracting temptations like constantly checking your smartphone or giving up on your dreams.
Do you want to know more about how to achieve even greater success as a leader in business? Leadership is granted by those you lead, not your title.
Discover how to become a better leader – the person that your team believes in and follows. Some of it is innate personality, but it’s also knowing the secrets that true leaders practice. Short cut the process – become a true leader with our programs and help. Want to explore further? Questions? Get in touch at (281) 217-4951 and let’s set up a time to talk.
