After the fourth stem cell treatment for my spinal cord injury, I thought I’d finally begin regaining my life.

So of course, I got a job in Seattle and traveled there once a quarter. I even decided to attend Social Media Marketing World in San Diego, my first big event since before the injury.

I obviously believed I was on the mend.

And I did great…

Until I didn’t.

It was the last day of the event. I had walked the length of the San Diego convention center multiple times over the previous two days, including the walk to and from my hotel room.

It may have been the first session of the day. I can’t remember. What I do remember is how my leg was becoming harder and harder to move.

I went from walking… to limping… to standing. And that was it. My leg had given out.

This wasn’t anything new. I just thought I was beyond babying my legs. So I took a second to assess my situation.

Choice one: I could quit. (I seriously considered it.)

But I was half-way between the escalators and the session I wanted to attend. If I turned around, I might make it to the front doors of the convention center. I wasn’t sure I could make it back to my hotel room.

Choice two: I could find the room, rest my leg, and maybe I’d make it through the day.

I wasn’t sure it would work, but I was pretty sure choice one wasn’t going to work, so I hobbled forward.

It took everything I had, but I found the room I was looking for. I found a seat and spent most of the session rethinking my day.

Clearly, I wasn’t going to be able to move from one room to another. My leg wasn’t moving. So I decided to stay put. The sessions scheduled for that room were the sessions I’d attend.

Fortunately, I had a bottle of water and a granola bar. That got me through lunch.

Between sessions, I chatted with anyone who entered the room and took notes on how they set up the room for each speaker. (The behind-the-scenes of a big conference is fascinating!)

As far as I know, no one knew why I camped out in that room all day. I was just some weirdo who liked hanging out with the tech crew.

I’m telling you my story today because in all the pain and worry, there’s a lesson.

Paralysis isn’t always physical, and it can take you down when you least expect it.

You’ll have an agenda. You’ll be doing your best to make it happen. And something will come along that will stop you in your tracks.

The question is, what will you do about it?

Will you retreat or move forward?

Will you adapt your plan to achieve your goals?

Will you make the best of a bad situation, gaining whatever value you can from it.

Or call it quits?

I believe we’re in a period of recovery. A pandemic and recession knocked us to our knees. Same gave up. Some camped out in a room.

But our legs are gaining strength. Now, in Q2 of 2024, we’re on our way — with another plan, a new agenda, or a new way of doing things that allows us to stay in the game.

I know businesses are still feeling the effects of the last three years, but the pressure is easing. The challenges we face now are new.

Marketing doesn’t work like it used to. Consumer behaviors have changed. AI is disrupting everything. That’s the reality.

You just have to decide what you’re going to do about it.

Times have changed. Your customers have changed. That’s why I’m not doing traditional content marketing anymore. I’m focusing on new strategies that will allow you to connect with your customers today.

If you’re wondering, I did spend most of the day in that one room, and as I hoped, my leg regained some function. I was able to make my way to the closing session and, yes, the hotel. (I did make it home safely, lol)

And I got a lot of value from that day. It wasn’t what I planned, but I enjoyed hanging out with the speakers and tech crew between sessions.

And I’d have missed that if I had quit or tried to double down on my original plan.

Feel stuck? Let's talk about what it would take to get your business moving forward again.

Stay awesome!

Kathryn

Founder: KA Media and AccessXL​

​
​
​
​