“Shiny Objects” – that’s what we, in our blogging and internet marketing world, call all those tools and training courses that we buy.

So many others online will tell you to STOP – but I have a bit of a different theory.

If you have a few minutes, I’d like to tell you a story…

My ‘Nanny’

When I was in 8th grade, my grandfather died.

To be honest, he was a bit of a butthead, but we all grieved – and my grandmother, my ‘Nanny’, she grieved the most and for the longest – and she spent many, many years alone after his death.

Move forward about 10 years… 10 years of my Nanny being ALONE… she met someone that she really enjoyed being with.

My family did not like him because he was a decent bit younger than my Nanny – younger man, older woman… the guy HAS to have ulterior motives, right? (oh please!)

But I really DID like him.

For one, my Nanny was happy! She had someone to travel with, someone she enjoyed being with – and… she wasn’t ALONE.

I didn’t care what his age was… I cared if SHE was happy – and if he was a decent person.

Ok, let me get to my point.

Way back then, I was considering getting my Realtors license, and this man was involved in the conversation when I first mentioned my idea to my family.

He listened as we spoke about it as a family, but didn’t say anything then…

BUT when I went outside with him and my Nanny to say good-bye, he said something to me privately that has STUCK with me ever since.

He said:

“If you have an opportunity to learn, take it! Knowledge is one thing NO ONE can take from you.”

I’ll be honest, what he said didn’t really sink in with me at the time – BUT… I DID decide to go to Realtor School and I passed my Realtors test on the first try (which is rare).

(then I quickly sold ONE house, got my commission check, and never went back to Real Estate because it turns out that I hated it. Live and learn, right? lol!)

Knowledge Is Power

To me, knowledge IS power – I soak up anything that I feel will make me better like a sponge.

I have a bookshelf of amazing books – and some NOT so amazing books…

But I got something out of ALL of them (even if it was ONE sentence).

I was the same way about all this “Make Money Online” stuff when I started – I simply could NOT learn enough.

Nothing was “shiny” to me then – it was all knowledge… POWER.

But my mind was clear – I had no fantasies that any one ‘thing’ was going to be the ‘IT’ that made me rich.

(to be honest, I DID feel that way about Real Estate way back then…haha!)

Are you Buying Knowledge – Or a Fantasy?

When you’re new to all this, you don’t really KNOW what you’re working on – you haven’t found your “place” yet.

At that point, yes, we all buy “shiny objects” – that’s how we learn and figure out what we want to do online because we don’t have a sense of direction yet.

In the process of buying and learning and seeing how different products/tools are presented, we also learn a beautiful skill called “marketing”.

Throughout that process, you not only figure out what YOU want to do online, but you also get a good feel to know if true online marketing is right for YOU.

And listen to me, please…

Online Marketing is NOT right for EVERYONE – it’s ok if it’s not your thing.

As the saying goes, “If it was easy for everyone, then everyone would be doing it”.

And we’d ALL be rich! =)

What Do You Want To BE When You Grow Up?

To me, it’s kinda like college – you take a whole bunch of courses, try a bunch of different things, pay a crazy amount of money – and THEN, hopefully, you figure out what you want to be when you grow up, right?

And then… you hope you get a job that helps you PAY for all that.

I have to say, it’s funny to me that no one calls college classes “shiny objects” – and they are the most expensive of all!

But wow, when it comes to Internet Marketing training, people are quick to call things “shiny” and “scams”.

Truth be told, when I hear someone say those words to me, I kinda know they aren’t going to make it in this business.

If someone, or some sales copy, got YOU to buy something – there is a powerful lesson to be learned.

I have yet to buy a single thing in my 11+ years online, that did not teach me a single thing – even if “all” I learned is to NOT market like that… or present my training like that, etc.

So let’s get back to “Shiny Objects” –

First off, let me define what “Shiny Objects” means to ME…

To me, a “Shiny Object” is a training program or tool that takes you AWAY from what you’re working on.

Or – a “Shiny Object” is something that brings out the “I’m gonna get rich quick” spark in your brain.

you know what I mean!

As I said earlier, when you’re new, you don’t KNOW what your path is so you try a little bit of everything (just like college, but way cheaper).

BUT – when you DO figure out what you want to do, and you DO have a plan in place, anything that takes you AWAY from that plan is probably a “shiny object”.

For Example:

Let’s say you have a plan to make content sites that are monetized with Amazon affiliate links and maybe some ads –

and your “Big Goal” is to make $2,500.00 a month AND only work ONE hour a month (like this guy does) –

then you stick to your plan and only buy things that move you faster down your path.

Smart Investment = Knowledge that Improves ME and my current plan

Shiny Object = Fantasy or Takes me AWAY from my current plan

I have bought training and tools JUST to see how their sales funnel works.

I have bought training and tools that were obviously “shady” with no intention of ever using them because I HAVE to know what can beat us.

know thy enemy, right?

And yes, I have also bought training or tools that took me down a “rabbit hole” far, far away from anything I was doing.

In my opinion, NOTHING I’ve purchased has been “shiny” – I’ve learned from ALL of them over the past decade plus I’ve been working online.

There are training programs I bought 7…8 years ago that STILL stick with me.

And yes, there are things I bought just a few months ago that gave me one single idea that I ran with – and that info product is now “clutter” on my hard drive.

It’s Not ‘Shiny’ – It’s POWER

Knowledge IS power that no one can ever take away from you.

The bottom line is this:

The only reason people call things “shiny” or (and oh, how I hate this term) a “scam” is because THEY didn’t DO anything with it.

If it shines a light to help you reach your goals faster – do it.

If it’s just going to gather cobwebs on your computer hard drive – skip it.

As I said, this business is NOT meant for everyone.

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