Episode 106: Turning Setbacks into Success

Setbacks are inevitable, but they don’t have to be as bad as they feel. They don’t have to be negative. They can be so many things, including growth opportunities. When we start new career journeys, we can be so focused on success. But the road to success is not often linear. As we find our way forward, the path can be filled with setbacks. It can be “make it or break it” when you start to experience obstacles. So it’s important to learn how to turn career setbacks into success.

In this episode I give you four tips on turning your stumbles into success. If setbacks are inevitable, it’s good to know how to make the best of them!

 

Topics Discussed:

  • Your outlook is everything, even when times are bad

  • Always looking forward is a proven strategy for success

  • Some things just don’t work out

Resources mentioned:

Related episodes and blog posts:

 
 
 
 

Read the transcript for this episode:

Welcome to Educator Forever, where we empower teachers to innovate education. Join us each week to hear stories of teachers expanding their impacts beyond the classroom and explore ways to reimagine teaching and learning.

Uh, setbacks are a bummer. When you're expecting something to go a certain way and it doesn't turn out the way you hoped, it can be a real disappointment, especially when you're looking for a job beyond the classroom or trying something new, setbacks are unfortunately inevitable. And actually I kind of hesitate when I say unfortunately because setbacks can actually be a really great way to learn. and so learning to embrace setbacks can help you turn them into success. It's really like I always used to say as a classroom teacher, like when we fail, quote, unquote, fail, or when we don't have things go the way we planned, those are opportunities for learning. There are opportunities for building resilience, for being intentional about what you want to learn. So I know that it can be really hard not to be so focused on success. You have a job that you're really excited to apply for, and of course, we want to get that job. But the road to success is not often linear. We have to stumble. We have to try things and get disappointed and try again. And as we find our way forward, the path can be filled with setbacks, and it can feel make it or break it, but it's really not. The part of overcoming setbacks is really embracing the idea that there are so many options, so many possibilities, and you don't have to feel limited, even if the opportunity you were excited about doesn't turn out the way you wanted it too. There are other opportunities, and the way to move through the feelings of feeling disappointment is to take action and to uncover other opportunities. Because the truth is, we all will experience obstacles on our ways beyond the classroom, trying new things, doing anything you want to do, like it's not a clear path, but that's normal, and they don't feel good, and they can actually be good for us. And so really, realizing that setbacks are opportunities for growth can help us find our way through the frustrations. So I have four ways that I'd love to talk to you about turning these setbacks into success. And the first is to reframe rejection. Instead of feeling 100% defeated by rejection, reframe it as redirection. Feel all your feelings. You don't have to push through and be like I gotta reframe it. I gotta reframe it. Feel your feelings, feel sad, feel disappointed, and then decide which direction you'll take to move through them. Remind yourself that setbacks are part of the path forward, and that each setback moves you closer to clarity about your next step. Also remember that literally, everyone experiences setbacks. There's a reason so many leaders in business and innovation talk about the failures on their path to success. Failing at something is an important part of learning and eventually succeeding, really embracing the process and even celebrating moving through setbacks. So reframe rejection as totally normal and start celebrating that you felt rejected, you felt sad, you felt disappointed, and you kept moving. And that's so inspirational. Being around people who are taking risks, who are trying things, who are not always succeeding, but who are always keeping on going is truly remarkable. The second thing you can do to turn career setbacks into success is to have a growth mindset. This is again, a real teacher thing to say, right? But a growth mindset is key when trying something new. So through any setbacks you experience, you get the opportunity to learn new things, so be intentional about what you want to work on through the setbacks. So for example, maybe you want to get more comfortable talking about your skills and when you apply for jobs and go on interviews, you can really practice talking about your experiences with confidence through the process of saying, I'm going to work on talking more clearly or in a more compelling way about my experience, that will give you agency, and you'll be able to make progress towards your goals, whether you get hired for the jobs you're interviewing for or not, but you can control that. You're practicing talking about your career. You're practicing building confidence. You're practicing doing something over and over and over again. So celebrate the risks that you take and the components of your job search that are within your control too, like you can do both you can apply for a job and put your best foot forward and try to do your very best work and.


You can also have that be kind of out of your control, right? Whether you get the job after you do that work, but you can be intentional through the process about what you're going to work on, and then try to let go of the aspects that are out of your control. Focus on the personal development to as a result that's happening as a result of going after your dreams, and often, it's your mindset that will really determine your ability to turn setbacks into success. So as much as you can stay positive and keep working, but don't ignore all the annoyances too, like that's valid. All the feelings are valid. It's just we're going to try and move through them and keep moving towards our goals.


The third thing you can do is think about finding the right fit. So really, why are setbacks necessary? Because if it didn't work out with a particular opportunity, it likely wasn't the best place for you to be, or at least not right now. And sometimes a rejection that feels like a professional failure can actually just be an important part of guiding you to where you're supposed to be. And so sometimes we can put so much power on jobs or decisions or all these things that might not be fully within our control, and sometimes we're not even tuned into do we actually want to do this thing? And so focus on finding the right fit. When you go on interviews, you're not the only one being interviewed. You're also interviewing the organizations too, and not every opportunity is going to be the right for you, and that's okay, but through the application process and even through rejection, you can get clarity on your next best step, and through the process too, you can really build contacts and build your network and get to know people and see who feels like the best fit for you. It's not just like this organization or this company, it's also the people. And so you might even meet people in an interview where you don't get a job, but you stay into contact with because you really hit it off. That's really important, too.


And then my fourth suggestion on how you can turn career setbacks into success is to stay the course. No matter what types of setbacks you experience, tune into what you really want. Stay grounded in your mission and vision, and then stay the course something more rewarding may be on the way, and you should not give up the difference between people who experience success and people who do not often boils down to not giving up, and this also involves overcoming self doubt. We all feel self doubt, but we need to move through it. Remind yourself of other challenges you've overcome, and focus on the skills you want to develop, envision the next chapter of your career, and then try to step into that energy. Now, this is, without a doubt, the best thing you can do to move forward.


And if you are really feeling overwhelmed and excited, that's completely normal as you try something new, overwhelm and excitement are two sides of the same coin. If you want a supportive community to really walk you through these moments and help you figure out how you can learn, through taking risks and putting yourselves out there, how you can actually achieve your goals. I would love for you to join us in the educator forever network, and I'll put a link in the show notes, that network is our community, which is full of the most amazing educators making a difference beyond the classroom, and it comes with many calls throughout the week. Our signature beyond the classroom program, a Slack site to with jobs posted all the time, and again, the best community of educators out there. So we'd love to have you check it out. If that feels like a good next step to you, and whatever you're doing, whatever your goals are, I want you to really think about reframing setbacks, see them as normal learning opportunities that you get to decide what you're going to learn from and when you experience a disappointment or a setback, really take some time and think about what am I going to learn through this experience? That can be journaling, it could be talking to somebody, documenting your feelings, but find your way through it, and you'll be closer to your goals.


Transcribed by https://otter.ai



Lily Jones