Welcome to Milestone Moments, the show where we explore the journeys that lead to success.
I'm Sheila Slick, your host and founder of Five Milestones. In every episode, we will bring you
insights from the minds of entrepreneurs, leaders, and experts who will share not just their expertise
but the milestone moments that have reshaped their journeys and led to significant achievements.
So if you're looking for motivation, you're in the right place. Subscribe now and discover the
milestones that mark the path to success.
Welcome to another episode of Milestone Moments in Business and Leadership. I'm Sheila Slick,
your host, and today I am so excited to kick off season two with a powerful theme,
Transformative Leadership Through Self-Growth. We'll be talking about the tools, mindset shifts,
and practices that will help you lead your life with confidence, and not just in business but in
every area of your life. In today's episode, I want to start with a core concept that will
guide our journey together, and that's continuing your growth journey. Like me, you've already made
it this far, and that is worth celebrating. But if you're anything like me, you're not here to
remain the same. Why? Because growth is not a one-time achievement. It's a lifelong journey.
So how do you keep the momentum going? How do you ensure that next year you're not just the same,
but you're moving forward and you're becoming more developed than you are right now?
So let's talk about how we can continue growing, and not just this year, but beyond any single goal
you may have right now. It's about sustaining momentum and staying forward-focused, even if
life presents challenges or unexpected changes. So first, let's talk about the mindset that you
need to cultivate for ongoing growth. You've probably already heard the term growth mindset
before, but it's so important. A growth mindset is the belief that abilities and intelligence
can be developed through dedication, through hard work, and through learning. It's not just about
talent or luck. It's about effort, and it's about resilience. I can remember many times when I have
doubted my own abilities. I have feared failure, and I thought failure meant a weakness or a lack of
capability, but then something shifted in me, and I realized that failure is a part of the process.
It's a stepping stone to growth. Failure sometimes isn't the end. It's a lesson that pushes us forward,
and maybe you've been there too feeling stuck or frustrated because you're not where you thought
you'd be, and that's okay because growth isn't linear. The key is to learn to embrace those
moments to shift your perspective from, I can't, to I'm learning. And when you adopt this mindset,
you open up a world of new possibilities. So now that we've covered the foundation of mindset,
how do you keep that growth moving forward? How do you stay motivated through the inevitable ups
and downs of life? Well, it all comes down to recognizing and celebrating the small wins.
It is these small wins that may seem minor that accumulate and create real momentum,
and with each small success, you're setting yourself up for bigger progress. Growth doesn't
happen all at once, and often it's the small wins that add up over time. When I first started my
growth journey, I didn't aim for everything at once. I mean, I wanted everything done. I wanted
to multitask, but the reality is you need to focus on small, manageable steps, and you do that by
setting daily goals, by improving one skill at a time, and you celebrate each one of those wins.
And measuring progress, no matter how small, will keep you motivated. You can't see the full impact
of your growth without tracking it, so you have to make it a point to create these small wins each
day. It's not about conquering everything at once. It's about moving forward one step at a time.
Ask yourself, what can you do today to improve, even if it's just a little? Maybe it's writing a
chapter of a book that you've been meaning to start, or maybe it's making a phone call you've
been putting off. For me, today it's launching this episode. These small wins are the building
blocks of momentum, and speaking of building momentum, that will lead us to our next step,
and that's creating habits that can consistently support your growth. Why? Because growth is driven
by the habits that you form, and if you want to keep growing, you need to build a routine that
supports that, and that's not easy, but you can start by thinking about your daily habits. Are
they helping you move forward, or are they holding you back? For me, it started with a simple routine
that I added to my morning coffee. I did what I call a brained up first, and that's putting
anything and everything that's on my mind on a sheet of paper, and then I circled the three
most important things in that paper, and then that helped me set a clear intention. It helped me
write down my goals, and by dedicating a few hours to tackle those, to do my most important work,
even though it wasn't glamorous, it worked. Small consistent habits lead to big results over time,
so start by choosing one habit to focus on. Maybe it's setting aside 10 minutes each morning to
plan your day, or committing to read for 30 minutes every day. These small actions, when repeated
daily, they will compound and create major change over time, and once you've built these support
habits, the next question is, how do you make sure that you're always moving forward and staying at
the top of your game? In my opinion, it all comes down to continuous learning. I have always
believed that if you stop learning, you stop growing, and I know it can be tempting to coast
once you reach your comfortable place, but even when things feel stable, you have to keep pushing
yourself to learn. Whether it's picking up a new skill, learning a new software, exploring a new
strategy, or simply shifting your perspective, continuous learning is so important to staying
ahead, and it also allows you to stay relevant. And I'll be honest, sometimes I have fallen into the
trap of thinking that I know it all, but the more I learn, the more I realize how much more there is
to discover. Adopting a mindset of continuous learning will always keep you growing and evolving.
So what can you learn a day? Maybe it's a new course, a book, or maybe even this podcast,
that aligns with your goals. Make it a point to learn something new every month, and it doesn't
have to take a huge amount of time. Making learning a consistent part of your routine
will always keep you ahead of the curb. Well, now that we've talked about continuous learning,
let's talk about something that's equally important. And that's the people that you're
surrounding yourself with. You've probably heard the saying, you are the best at learning.
You've heard the saying, you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.
If you want to keep growing, you need to surround yourself with people who also value growth. Being
around others who challenge you, who inspire you, who push you to think differently can fuel your
own development. Whether it's colleagues, your parents, mentors, or friends, having a supportive
minded community makes all of the difference in the world. And if you don't have those kinds of
people in your life right now, go find them. Join a group, attend a workshop, or connect with others
online. The important thing is to seek out people who share your values and who can help you push
past your limits. Now, let's explore something else that will help you stay on track with all of
your goals. And that's taking care of yourself. Growth isn't just about mental or professional
development. It's about physical and emotional well-being too. I've learned that if I don't take
care of myself, my ability to grow is limited. So make time for self-care, exercise, be mindful of
what you eat, get enough sleep, and do things that recharge your energy. When your body and your mind
are in balance, you'll have more focus and energy to keep moving forward. And sometimes growth means
stepping back and investing in your health. Taking care of yourself isn't a setback. It's an investment
to your long-term success. And now that we're talking about planning for success, let's shift gears
to setting powerful goals for the future. Yes, you've probably heard about goal setting, but I'm
talking about truly visualizing where you want to be and then taking intentional steps to get there.
When you set goals, you're not just creating a list. It's not like a to-do list. What you're doing
is you're shaping your future. You're taking control. So before we wrap up, I want you to
take a moment right now to think about where you want to be next year. What do you want to accomplish?
What skills do you want to develop? And most importantly, what steps will you take to get
there? To help you visualize your journey, I want to leave you with a powerful exercise that will
help you clearly visualize your future. And that exercise is to write a letter to your future self.
This exercise will encourage you to think beyond today and create a roadmap for your growth. So
what are you going to write in this letter? In this letter, you're going to picture yourself at
the end of next year, reflecting on everything you've accomplished. What has changed? What new
skills have you developed? What challenges have you overcome? How do you feel? And how has your
growth journey shaped you? Thank you for joining me today on this first episode of 2025. Remember,
growth is a journey. It's not a destination. Keep embracing your growth mindset, celebrate your small
wins, build good habits, seek learning, surround yourself with the right people, and most
importantly, take care of yourself. I'll see you in the next episode. Until then, keep growing,
keep leading, and keep moving forward.