Today I’m going to answer a question that was put in the Author of Your Own Story group by Barbara. Barbara essentially is asking, “Hey, look. I’ve been going really hard towards this solution, or towards this direction, but now it’s just not filling me up. I’m not finding that this is a viable path for me, and I just don’t think this is the way I want to go, but how do I know that I’m not just giving up because it’s getting difficult, and moving onto the next shiny new object instead of actually pushing through and finding something? Or, finding my other passion?”
Well, this is a great question. It’s something that I think all of us have had, right? We start working on a project that we’re really passionate about, only to find out that it’s really either too difficult, or it’s just not something we’re interested in. Now, business owners have this all the time. They call it Shiny New Object Syndrome. Now the difference between this and what Barbara is talking about is Shiny New Object Syndrome is working on something, and then all of a sudden switching paths because something else looks more fun. It looks more interesting. Now, this happens with software programs, right? We start working with one software program when we buy the year subscription, and next thing you know, we want to work with SEO tools. Then it’s digital marketing, and it’s content marketing, or whatever it may be.
Now the difference between this and what Barbara is talking about is Shiny New Object Syndrome is working on something, and then all of a sudden switching paths because something else looks more fun. It looks more interesting. Now, this happens with software programs, right? We start working with one software program when we buy the year subscription, and next thing you know, we want to work with SEO tools. Then it’s digital marketing, and it’s content marketing, or whatever it may be.
This also happens in technology, and us men, we really get this a lot, where we’re always looking for the newest, greatest things. You know, I have a 55-inch plasma TV, but now I need the 65-inch big screen. This is different, though, what Barbara is talking about. What Barbara is asking here is, hey look, I’ve been working hard towards this vision I have, and now that I’m working on it, I don’t really know if it’s the vision I want. I actually possibly want something else.
This happens all the time, and this is where I’m saying you can’t know C without going to B. If I decide that I’m going to go from point A to point B, and I’m working there, and on my way to B I can look around the corner and I see point C in the distance, and I then know that’s where I want to go. Now, if I wasn’t going towards B, if I wasn’t making that shift, making those choices, making that effort to go to B, I would never know that C existed and it would be impossible for me to make that pivot.
See, going to something different doesn’t mean you’re quitting if you’re doing it for the right reasons. What I mean by that is, as I’m going towards my goal, my goal is point B from A. If I’m going towards my goal, and on that route, I discover something that I previously did not know was possible, we’re going to call that point C. Now I can make a conscious shift, not out of fear, but a conscious shift from the heart out of love of what I want to do, and go to C because now I know that exists. I didn’t know what I didn’t know beforehand.
This is the reason we shouldn’t beat ourselves up. We shouldn’t have this self-judgment. We all do, right? We’re all our own worst critics. When I shoot these videos, I can name a hundred things I don’t like about my physical self, or things that … the lighting, the background, the shirt that I’m wearing, whatever it is. We’re our worst critics, but where we’re going for a goal, especially for high achievers, Barbara … When you’re going for a goal, sometimes you have that innate you have to finish, but that’s not true. If you have new information, new insights, and new ideas, you can make that pivot. You can turn and realize that the real direction you want to go to was something you didn’t even know existed. Also, on top of that, you’re changing.
You can turn and realize that the real direction you want to go to was something you didn’t even know existed. Also, on top of that, you’re changing. Every day, we’re changing. I have a newborn, and every single day I can see physical changes in my newborn. He’s crawling. Now he’s doing something else. He’s grabbing onto objects. Every day, it’s a tangible thing.
We as adults make the same changes, but we’re making those changes internally. We’re making those changes based on our universe, and our world experience, and what we’re getting our eyes open too, so we shouldn’t stop realizing that with those changes are going to come new perspectives. We wouldn’t expect a child to all of a sudden stop doing something, or stop growing or stop thinking differently as their world changes in front of them, because their eyes have been opened. This is happening to us as adults as well, and we should give ourselves the grace to realize that while making these changes, we’re going to see new perspectives and new realities that we didn’t see previously.
So Barbara, to answer your question, you know whether you’re quitting, or whether you’ve just found the right path if this is a new path and you’re not quitting out of fear. Now if you’re moving towards fear, or away from fear, excuse me, then that’s the issue. That’s a no. It’s a red flag if you’re scared about moving away, but if you’re moving towards, if you’re feeling yourself pulled towards something from the heart, that’s a good thing. That’s what the worlds all about. You’re not meant to be in this confined box. Now, as you’re going toward B, now you see C. Move in that direction, and move in that direction with pure joy. I hope this helps you. I’d love to hear your feedback, and I’d love to hear more about your story.
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