b'FINAL THOUGHTSREFLECTIONS ON RESILIENCEeven when the hits keep on coming. After suffering a professional setback, the National Jeweler columnist reflects on our ability to bounce backBY PETER SMITHE veryone has a plan til they getpsychological calluses to carry me through ain the morning and get in the game. punched in the mouth. Sojob loss?We will tap the necessary reserves of said Mike Tyson, the formerMaybe it was something entirely different;resilience to tackle the demands of our day, heavyweight champion boxer and a man whoa sense of a job very well done, a box ticked,minor and major, because of our capacity administered a few such punches in his day. an opportunity for personal reinvention?to keep on keeping on, even in the face of I got punched in the mouth recently. I lostOr perhaps it was a quiet confidence, know- potentially devastating setbacks. my job.ing that I am primed and ready to make mean- Well do it in our stores when the custom-Well, to be more accurate, my positioningful contributions elsewhere in our industry?er walks out without making a purchase, or was eliminated.The newly found time could be a greatwhen a vendor lets us down with a delivery The circumstances surrounding that de- opportunity to do some more store trainingsthat seemed important at the time. cision are decidedly less interesting than mybased on my new book, The Sales Minute,Well do it at trade shows when people reaction to it; an exterior calmness, followedor to speak to organizations about the hugelyfail to show for their appointments, or when immediately by a deeply rooted sense ofimportant job of hiring salespeople.our outreach efforts are rebuffed, or ignored excitement at the adventures to come. Ad- completely. ventures unknown, to be sure, but adventuresWell tap into that resilience when that nonetheless.perfect job applicant takes a position some-I thought afterward about one of my fa- Failure is thewhere else, when our jeweler decides to move vorite Truman Capote quotes, Failure is thecondiment that givesto another state, or when our best salesper-condiment that gives success its flavor.success its flavor. son chooses to go work for someone else. Except, by no reasonable standard, couldIn The Happiness Advantage, Shawn my recent three-year stint be classified as TRUMAN CAPOTE Achor wrote, Because thousands of years of a failure. I believe, in fact, my tenure at myevolution have made us so remarkably good at former company might just be the best workadapting to even the most extreme life circum-of my entire career. It also could be that I now have the oppor- stances, adversity never hits us quite as hard, So, what was it that fed my optimism intunity to work with smaller brands and suppli- or for quite as long, as we think it might.the face of a job loss, an event often com- ers to help get them on track, or the luxury ofResilience is not an antidote to disap-pared to death in the way it can psychologi- working with interested retailers, who mightpointment or suffering. It doesnt mean we cally derail people?appreciate my perspective and counsel.wont occasionally become derailed when we In The Myths of Happiness, SonjaWhatever the reason for my positiveget punched in the mouth. Lyubomirsky wrote, Recent research revealsattitude and upbeat demeanor following myIt does, however, give us the capacity to that people who have experienced some ad- job loss, what is clear is that most of us have apick ourselves up off the canvas and get back versity (for example, several negative eventsremarkable capacity for resilience in the facein the fight. or life-changing moments) are ultimatelyof setbacks.Even when your job is eliminated.happier (and less distressed, traumatized,That resilience can reveal itself in the face of stressed or impaired) than those who havethe biggest obstacles, such as losing someonePeter Smith is an industry experienced no adversity at all.close to us, having a major health scare, break- consultant, speaker, and sales Having a history of enduring several dev- ing up with a significant other, or losing a job.trainer. He is the author of three astating moments toughens us up and makesAs I write this, we are still in the throes ofbooks (Hiring Squirrels, Sell us better prepared to manage later traumas,a global pandemic, Russia has commencedSomething and The Sales big and small. the invasion of its neighbor, Ukraine, theMinute) and a columnist for Perhaps, as Lyubomirsky implies, Ivestock market is in freefall and inflation is atNational Jeweler. He can be endured sufficient upheaval, personally andits highest level in 40 years. And yet, some- reached at TheRetailSmiths@gmail.com or professionally, to have formed the necessaryhow, we will survive all this, pick ourselves up617-308-1580.72 STATE OF THE MAJORS 2022'