<ol><li>Uninformed optimism: you’re excited about your purchase and eagerly anticipating what’s to come.</li><li>Informed pessimism: you’ve experienced some challenges and it’s making you feel frustrated.</li><li>Hopeful realism: you’ve pushed through the doubt and are better able to handle challenges.</li><li>Informed optimism: you feel confident you’ve made the right decision and are feeling more experienced and less anxious.</li><li>Completion: you accomplished your goal! You’re feeling very satisfied and happy with yourself.</li></ol>

Emotional Cycle of Change 

Here are some symptoms to watch out for:&nbsp;<ul><li>You get jazzed up about new ideas but never actually complete them&nbsp;</li><li>You have a ton of unfinished projects sitting on your desktop and can’t quite find the time or energy to come back to them&nbsp;</li><li>You switch between projects, courses, or tasks constantly, never focusing on one thing for too long&nbsp;</li><li>You get distracted easily and find it hard to concentrate on “needle-moving” tasks that bring you closer to achieving your goal.</li></ul>The solution to overcoming shiny object syndrome is: Commit to working on your goal until it works, not if it works.

Falling prey to shiny object syndrome

<figure><img alt="" src="https://miro.medium.com/max/500/0*2NhKU4tVGik" width="680" height="453"><figcaption class="ic id cz cx cy ie if ce b ga cg fi" data-selectable-paragraph="" dir="ltr">Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@nubelsondev?utm_source=medium&amp;utm_medium=referral" class="ck ig" rel="noopener nofollow" dir="ltr">Nubelson Fernandes</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/?utm_source=medium&amp;utm_medium=referral" class="ck ig" rel="noopener nofollow" dir="ltr">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure>A rush of adrenaline flowed through my veins as I clicked “Purchase” on a new online course. So many emotions were hitting me, but one thought was loudest of all:“This course is going to change my life! I’m just going to follow along and do it, no matter what it says. If I can follow along, I can get amazing results like everyone else. This is the missing piece I’ve been waiting for. Now that I’ve bought this course, I’ll be successful.”Sound familiar? Yeah, we’ve all been there. Spoiler alert: The Earth didn’t shift on its axis when I finished the course. Rainbows didn’t cover the sky, money didn’t rain down from the clouds, and I didn’t see a single unicorn.Caveat: I never actually finished the course. I got distracted by a shiny object and absolutely convinced myself that this new thing was the solution. THAT was what I needed to be successful — sitting just out of reach on the other side of the paywall. I had to have it. I had to invest in myself and my future.Any of this ringing a bell? It’s called shiny object syndrome, and there’s a science-backed explanation as to why it happens. Once you understand why this happens, you’re better equipped to avoid it (or help your customers avoid it if you’re a course creator).<h1 data-selectable-paragraph="">When we make a change, we go through 5 predictable stages of emotions</h1>Don Kelley and Daryl Conner came up with a science-backed process called the <a href="https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/kelley-conner-cycle.htm" rel="noopener nofollow" dir="ltr">Emotional Cycle of Change</a> in the mid-1970s. They found that anytime we make a voluntary change in our lives — like buying a new online course — we go through a predictable series of emotions:<h2 data-selectable-paragraph="">Stage 1: Uninformed optimism</h2>During this initial stage, you’re excited about your purchase and eagerly anticipating what’s to come. You’re not sure what to expect or how you’ll accomplish your goal, but you’re entirely focused on diving in and doing it.<h2 data-selectable-paragraph="">Stage 2: Informed pessimism</h2>By now, you’ve experienced some challenges. Maybe you realize things are a bit harder than you anticipated, and it’s making you feel frustrated. You’re feeling anxious about finishing the course and perhaps even tempted to quit. Kelley and Conner refer to this as “the valley of despair.” We’re talking about serious self-doubt, procrastination, and a very real threat of quitting on yourself during this stage.<h2 data-selectable-paragraph="">Stage 3: Hopeful realism</h2>At this point, you’ve pushed through the doubt and are better able to handle challenges that come your way. You probably solved a few of the problems you encountered in stage 2, making you feel better about yourself and this goal.<h2 data-selectable-paragraph="">Stage 4: Informed optimism</h2>You’re almost at the end. Now you feel confident you’ve made the right decision and are feeling more experienced and less anxious. This is the perfect stage for you to start mentoring someone else who’s joined the course and is still in stage 1 or 2.<h2 data-selectable-paragraph="">Stage 5: Completion</h2>You did it — you accomplished your goal! You’re feeling very satisfied and happy with yourself. This is the time to celebrate and acknowledge all that you achieved, either publicly or privately.<h1 data-selectable-paragraph="">Shiny objects are a very real threat in stage 2</h1>Now, let’s dive deeper into stage 2 because that’s where the threat of shiny objects comes into play. When you’re faced with challenges and feeling frustrated, you’re going to get distracted by other options out there. If you decide to act on this distraction and invest in a new course now, you’ll get a rush of excitement because you’re buying something that puts you back into stage 1 — uninformed optimism.But over time, as you go through this new course, you’ll inevitably end up back at stage 2, informed pessimism. If you allow yourself to be distracted by another shiny object now, you’ll go through this cycle again and again. Your body and brain are looking for the “hit” that comes from uninformed optimism — but you’re never going to achieve anything unless you ride out all five stages and get to the completion point.As a course creator, you have to help your students move beyond stage 2, or you’ll lose them to shiny objects. Help them recognize what’s happening and that these challenges are only temporary.If you aren’t sure whether you or your students are falling prey to shiny object syndrome, here are some symptoms to watch out for:<UL><LI>You get jazzed up about new ideas but never actually complete them</LI><LI>You have a ton of unfinished projects sitting on your desktop and can’t quite find the time or energy to come back to them</LI><LI>You switch between projects, courses, or tasks constantly, never focusing on one thing for too long</LI><LI>You get distracted easily and find it hard to concentrate on “needle-moving” tasks that bring you closer to achieving your goal</LI></UL>While the Emotional Cycle of Change may sound circular and confusing — the solution to overcoming shiny object syndrome is deceptively simple:Commit to working on your goal until it works, not if it works.When you change your mindset like this, success becomes inevitable. It’s no longer a matter of if but when.I said “deceptively simple” because the concept of commitment is simple, but the implementation can be a little tricky. So next time you’re in the thick of a new course, program, or goal and are feeling frustrated, remind yourself that you’ve hit informed pessimism. Your eyes are now open to the very real challenges you’ll have to overcome to complete whatever you’re doing. Ride it out because hopeful realism is waiting for you on the other side.<h1 data-selectable-paragraph="">How to apply this to your life</h1>As a course consumer, understanding the Emotional Cycle of Change can help you get the most out of your investment and push past any challenges that arise. Awareness gives you the best possible chance of reaching stage 5: Completion.As a course creator, understanding the Emotional Cycle of Change is not only necessary; it’s critical. If you want to help your students have the best possible experience from your course, you have to explain the challenges they’ll face along the way.As part of your course welcome sequence, I would recommend explaining the Emotional Cycle of Change and being very upfront about the real temptation students will have to search for other courses while they’re taking yours. Help people understand why it’s happening, so they can recognize when shiny object syndrome hits and stay the course through to completion.You could communicate this in your automated <a rel="noopener" href="https://medium.com/illumination/email-list-size-f53662cdf8ea" dir="ltr">email</a> welcome sequence or on your first coaching call, depending on whether your course is asynchronous or live.As the saying goes, “the first step towards change is awareness.” (Thanks, Nathaniel Branden.) Simply by reading this article, you’re better prepared to identify shiny object syndrome — and stop it in its tracks.<a href="https://relentless-thinker-8244.ck.page/19f275b21e" rel="noopener nofollow" dir="ltr">Join my list</a> to learn how to build a profitable email list for your business in 5 days.

Shiny object syndrome has a science-backed explanation and it’s called the Emotional Cycle of Change. Stage 2 is when the threat of shiny objects occurs.

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A rush of adrenaline flowed through my veins as I clicked “Purchase” on a new online course. So many emotions were hitting me, but one thought was loudest of all:

“This course is going to change my life! I’m just going to follow along and do it, no matter what it says. If I can follow along, I can get amazing results like everyone else. This is the missing piece I’ve been waiting for. Now that I’ve bought this course, I’ll be successful.”

Sound familiar? Yeah, we’ve all been there. Spoiler alert: The Earth didn’t shift on its axis when I finished the course. Rainbows didn’t cover the sky, money didn’t rain down from the clouds, and I didn’t see a single unicorn.

Caveat: I never actually finished the course. I got distracted by a shiny object and absolutely convinced myself that this new thing was the solution. THAT was what I needed to be successful — sitting just out of reach on the other side of the paywall. I had to have it. I had to invest in myself and my future.

Any of this ringing a bell? It’s called shiny object syndrome, and there’s a science-backed explanation as to why it happens. Once you understand why this happens, you’re better equipped to avoid it (or help your customers avoid it if you’re a course creator).

When we make a change, we go through 5 predictable stages of emotions

Don Kelley and Daryl Conner came up with a science-backed process called the <a href="https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/kelley-conner-cycle.htm">Emotional Cycle of Change </a>in the mid-1970s. They found that anytime we make a voluntary change in our lives — like buying a new online course — we go through a predictable series of emotions:

During this initial stage, you’re excited about your purchase and eagerly anticipating what’s to come. You’re not sure what to expect or how you’ll accomplish your goal, but you’re entirely focused on diving in and doing it.

By now, you’ve experienced some challenges. Maybe you realize things are a bit harder than you anticipated, and it’s making you feel frustrated. You’re feeling anxious about finishing the course and perhaps even tempted to quit. Kelley and Conner refer to this as “the valley of despair.” We’re talking about serious self-doubt, procrastination, and a very real threat of quitting on yourself during this stage.

At this point, you’ve pushed through the doubt and are better able to handle challenges that come your way. You probably solved a few of the problems you encountered in stage 2, making you feel better about yourself and this goal.

You’re almost at the end. Now you feel confident you’ve made the right decision and are feeling more experienced and less anxious. This is the perfect stage for you to start mentoring someone else who’s joined the course and is still in stage 1 or 2.

You did it — you accomplished your goal! You’re feeling very satisfied and happy with yourself. This is the time to celebrate and acknowledge all that you achieved, either publicly or privately.

Shiny objects are a very real threat in stage 2

Now, let’s dive deeper into stage 2 because that’s where the threat of shiny objects comes into play. When you’re faced with challenges and feeling frustrated, you’re going to get distracted by other options out there. If you decide to act on this distraction and invest in a new course now, you’ll get a rush of excitement because you’re buying something that puts you back into stage 1 — uninformed optimism.

But over time, as you go through this new course, you’ll inevitably end up back at stage 2, informed pessimism. If you allow yourself to be distracted by another shiny object now, you’ll go through this cycle again and again. Your body and brain are looking for the “hit” that comes from uninformed optimism — but you’re never going to achieve anything unless you ride out all five stages and get to the completion point.

As a course creator, you have to help your students move beyond stage 2, or you’ll lose them to shiny objects. Help them recognize what’s happening and that these challenges are only temporary.

If you aren’t sure whether you or your students are falling prey to shiny object syndrome, here are some symptoms to watch out for:

<ul><li>You get jazzed up about new ideas but never actually complete them </li><li>You have a ton of unfinished projects sitting on your desktop and can’t quite find the time or energy to come back to them </li><li>You switch between projects, courses, or tasks constantly, never focusing on one thing for too long </li><li>You get distracted easily and find it hard to concentrate on “needle-moving” tasks that bring you closer to achieving your goal </li> </ul>

While the Emotional Cycle of Change may sound circular and confusing — the solution to overcoming shiny object syndrome is deceptively simple:

Commit to working on your goal until it works, not if it works.

When you change your mindset like this, success becomes inevitable. It’s no longer a matter of if but when.

I said “deceptively simple” because the concept of commitment is simple, but the implementation can be a little tricky. So next time you’re in the thick of a new course, program, or goal and are feeling frustrated, remind yourself that you’ve hit informed pessimism. Your eyes are now open to the very real challenges you’ll have to overcome to complete whatever you’re doing. Ride it out because hopeful realism is waiting for you on the other side.

As a course consumer, understanding the Emotional Cycle of Change can help you get the most out of your investment and push past any challenges that arise. Awareness gives you the best possible chance of reaching stage 5: Completion.

As a course creator, understanding the Emotional Cycle of Change is not only necessary; it’s critical. If you want to help your students have the best possible experience from your course, you have to explain the challenges they’ll face along the way.

As part of your course welcome sequence, I would recommend explaining the Emotional Cycle of Change and being very upfront about the real temptation students will have to search for other courses while they’re taking yours. Help people understand why it’s happening, so they can recognize when shiny object syndrome hits and stay the course through to completion.

You could communicate this in your automated <a href="https://medium.com/illumination/email-list-size-f53662cdf8ea">email </a>welcome sequence or on your first coaching call, depending on whether your course is asynchronous or live.

As the saying goes, “the first step towards change is awareness.” (Thanks, Nathaniel Branden.) Simply by reading this article, you’re better prepared to identify shiny object syndrome — and stop it in its tracks.

<a href="https://relentless-thinker-8244.ck.page/19f275b21e">Join my list </a>to learn how to build a profitable email list for your business in 5 days.

The Science of Shiny Object Syndrome and Why You’re so Distracted

Emotional Cycle of Change

Falling prey to shiny object syndrome

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