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Inspiration

Resilience in • Limit news intake: During times of crisis, it's important to stay abreast

of developments but not become obsessed by them. If you find yourself
trying times checking news sites or watching cable news channels frequently through-
out the day and evening, set a daily time limit for each of these activities
and stick with it.
• Strive for excellence, not perfection: Perfection is illusive and can lead to
he payments industry's self-criticism and inertia. Excellence, on the other hand, is attainable, as
feet on the street are a resil- well as inspiring. It can lead to recognition, motivation and further excel-
ient lot. After all, ISOs and lence in all that you do.
T merchant level salespeo-
ple contend with rejection routinely • Focus on behavior, not victories: If you cultivate positive, ethical habits,
and keep going, knowing they will these will ultimately serve you well in the long term rather than focusing
receive plenty of negative responses on manipulation and even deceit that might lead to short-term, short-lived
before they reach a prospect who victories.
says yes. The same goes for entrepre- • Take action: There is much going on the world today that we cannot con-
neurs and owners of small and mid- trol, but there are things each of us can take to make a difference in the
size businesses as a whole. Resilience lives of others. For example, many payment companies have stepped up
is required to face all the ups and to help merchants adapt to new ways to sell and accept payments. Some
downs daily life in business presents. citizens are working to get needed resources to communities in need. From
small to large actions, being of use to others is a winning way to life our-
Today, however, all of us are contend- selves and our communities.
ing with upheaval caused by the CO-
VID-19 pandemic. Some sectors are No matter how divided we may seem at
thriving; others are suffering. Many times, we are all in this together. Gently
businesses are opening up under reminding ourselves and those we meet
strict safety guidelines after months along the way of that fact will lead to further
of closure. Working parents do not connection and resilience. Kate Gillespie, President and CEO
yet know whether their children will
return to school in the fall—and un-
der what conditions. People whose
loved ones are hospitalized cannot sit
beside them. Many living alone are
relying on Zoom to maintain a sem-
blance of community.

Thus, more people are on edge and
exhausted. A can-do attitude remains
but is a little bit muffled. One essen-
tial task at this time, I believe, is to
nurture resilience in ourselves and
in others during these challenging
times. And there are several ways to
do that.
Things to do

Here are some actions that help foster
resilience:
• Strengthen your support system:
We cannot gather with friends
and loved ones in the ways we're
accustomed to right now, but we
can and must find ways to stay
in touch that work for us. Video
meetings are a lifesaver for some.
Ongoing group texts are lifting
other people's spirits. Some are
finding comfort in the real-time
give and take of old-fashioned
phone conversations.

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