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 we're talking about something that
affects all of us, whether we're just starting
our journey or we're seasoned professionals.
And that's turning setbacks into comebacks. You
know, I had an interesting experience this past
week that I wanted to share with you. I just
sent it out in my biweekly newsletter. After
12 years of building my network, my community
on X, formerly known as Twitter, I suddenly found
my account suspended. Just like that, I was locked
out of my community. I was... unable to connect
with the network that I've spent over a decade
building. And the irony is that I've been telling
my clients for years, don't build your brand
or business exclusively on rented platforms.
And now I'm living my own advice. And honestly,
it's been quite frustrating and, of course, a
wake -up call. Here's how it happened. I downloaded
an app. to help clean up followers and X -flagged
it as inauthentic behavior. Days later, I'm still
waiting for a human to review it. And the struggle
is real, as they say. But you know what? This
experience got me thinking about setbacks in
general and how we respond to them. Because let's
face it, setbacks are inevitable, both in business
and in life. And the question isn't whether we're
going to face them, but how are we going to respond
to them when they do happen? So today, I want
to talk to you about how we can transform our
setbacks and turn them into comebacks. Because
I truly believe that every setback contains a
valuable lesson, and every success leaves clues
worth following. And the key lies in paying attention
to both. So first, Let's talk about reframing
failure. When something goes wrong, our first
instinct is to often see the situation as a failure.
I certainly felt that way when I realized I was
locked out of my account. I even felt punished.
But what if we reframe failure as feedback? Instead
of asking, why did this happen to me? What if
we shift our thinking to... What can I learn
from this? Well, in my case, this setback reinforced
something I already knew intellectually, but
I hadn't fully implemented. And that's the importance
of being able to connect with my audience through
other channels that aren't as rented, like an
email list or perhaps phone numbers, right? Where
I can reach out via text. The second thing I
found helpful. was what I call the power of a
pause. When the account was suspended, I initially
felt that urgent need to fix it immediately.
But taking a step back has given me the space
to think more clearly. And sometimes we need
to pause, we need to breathe, and we need to
process what happened before we can respond effectively.
It's not about giving up. It's about creating
space to think clearly and to respond thoughtfully
rather than impulsively. Now let's talk about
staying connected to your why. During tough times,
it's really easy to lose sight of why you started
in the first place. My why has always been about
helping others navigate business, navigate transitions,
leverage technology, and find clarity in their
next steps. This setback actually reminded me
of that purpose. It has given me an opportunity
to practice what I preach and to share this experience
with you, turning it into a teaching moment rather
than just a personal frustration, even though
that's real. Another strategy that's been really
helpful for me is taking micro steps to regain
momentum. After a setback, getting back on track
can feel overwhelming. But the key is taking
small, consistent actions rather than expecting
everything to fall back into place at once. Even
though it would be nice, it doesn't always happen
that way. And for me, That can mean doubling
down on my email newsletter, for example, reaching
out to connections through other channels, and
seeing this as an opportunity to diversify my
communication strategy. Let's talk about adaptability,
too. In today's world, we are seeing so many
shifts, so many changes. We're seeing supply
chain shifts. We're seeing tariff changes. We're
seeing technical disruptions. And all of these
have become our new normal. So adaptability isn't
optional. It's essential. Being adaptable doesn't
mean abandoning your goals. It means reevaluating
your approach when things don't go according
to your plan. In my case, this hasn't changed
my goal of connecting with and helping others.
It's just changing how I have to go about doing
that. And I've also been reminded that resilience
isn't just something that you either have or
you don't have. It's a skill that you have to
develop over time and you have to practice it.
It requires intentional practice, especially
when setbacks occur. And a practice that always
helps me is gratitude. Because even in a frustrating
situation, I'm grateful for the reminder. that
I need to diversify my communication channels.
I'm grateful for the people that I did manage
to connect with outside of the platform. And
I'm grateful for this platform where I can share
these experiences with you. I'm also grateful
for the opportunity to practice resilience in
real time. And finally, I want to emphasize the
importance of finding support. Setbacks can often
feel isolating, but we don't have to go through
them alone. Talking through your challenges with
others can help us process our emotions. It can
help us gain new insights and feel more empowered
to move forward. I've been fortunate to have
mentors and colleagues who've offered perspective
and encouragement during tough times. This particular
case being a social media isn't that dire, so
to speak. It is frustrating. So I haven't really
had to seek out much support, but I definitely
communicated. to help others learn, and also
to gain different perspectives from people that
are part of my community. And a lot of times,
by having support, it not only becomes invaluable
in helping you see setbacks, not as an ending,
but as the beginning of something new. And so
here's what I want to leave you with today. Success
isn't always a straight line. It's filled with
twists, with turns, and with detours. And with
the right mindset, every setback can become a
stepping stone. Because when we face setbacks,
we gain clarity about what truly matters and
what needs to change. And this is how resilient
businesses and people are built and how breakthrough
ideas are born. So I'd love to hear from you.
What recent challenge has taught you something
unexpected? Or how have you turned a setback
into a comeback in your own life or business?
I'd love for you to share your thoughts. Feel
free to reach out to me directly through my website
or email newsletter or social media. And speaking
of newsletter, if you haven't subscribed yet,
now might be the perfect time. It's one channel
that isn't controlled by any platform, so I'd
love to stay connected with you there. Until
next time, remember that setbacks are just setups
for comebacks. I'm Sheila Slick, and this has
been Milestone Moment in Business and Leadership.
Until next time.