The 2022 World Cup just ended, and the final was a match for the ages.

After a thrilling end-to-end duke-out finished 3-3, Argentina defeated France on penalty kicks.

Crucially, what often determines whether a player will make their penalty shot is not physical ability. Given the power and technique of top players, it’s almost impossible for even the best goalkeepers to save a penalty from them – if the shot is well-placed. But what stops a player perfectly capable of producing that exact placement from executing in the big moment?

So often it’s a matter of nerves – of letting anxiety get the better of them. The pressure becomes paralyzing. The fear of missing is a burden so heavy, their limbs lock and they hook a shot wide or sail it over the bar or send it at the keeper.

Put another way, the worry over failure becomes so great that it manifests the failure itself.

What does this have to do with the promo products industry? Well, maybe this: Don’t let anxiety shape your reality in 2023. Instead, attack the forthcoming new year with positivity, a well-crafted strategic plan, and a belief that you’ll overcome the challenges you face.

Jeremy Lott, CEO of Top 40 supplier SanMar (asi/84863) and number one on Counselor’s Power 50 list of promo’s most influential people, explains why he’s “long-term really bullish” on the industry in this Promo Insiders podcast.

For sure, it would be easy to rub the worry stone bare.

During the pandemic, it’s felt at times that we’ve gone from crisis to crisis, making seemingly everyone more prone to anxiety. Also, every day of late another supposed expert or talking head pundit in mainstream media is stoking fears about a recession and what that might look like for the American economy. Certainly some industry distributors are seeing the fear rear in clients, some of whom have been tightening the purse strings of their marketing budgets. Even after overcoming the substantial challenges of the past few years, it’s not hard to fret over what awaits the industry in 2023.

In such an environment, there’s a human tendency to feel scared and overwhelmed. That’s OK – for a bit at least. The critical part is how we react. Do we throw our hands up and concede defeat before even getting in the game? Do we let anxiety cripple us so that we’re incapable of acting as we must – shoot our penalty kick over the bar, so to speak?

Or, do we dig in and determine to find a way through – to put ourselves in the best possible position for success and then work hard and with faith that we’ll achieve it?

For promo’s top-performing individuals and companies, there’s really only one option. And it’s all about getting after it. It’s about defining success, then mapping out a plan to attain it, doing your best to work the plan, and adapting as necessary once you get into the nitty-gritty of the year.

Veteran promo pro Nicole McNamee delivers powerful strategies on goal-setting in this ASI University course.

Over the summer, I hosted a Promo Insiders podcast in which several distributors discussed how to survive – and prosper – in a recession. One of the biggest takeaways was that even in more difficult economic times, there will always be opportunities.

For instance, there will always be clients or prospects that continue to thrive – who are trying to gain market share given the particulars of their business and the economic situation. The key for distributors is to identify those clients, and then provide them with solutions they need. In so doing, you’ll rise as they do. Be the distributor who does this in 2023.

In this Promo Insiders podcast, distributors discuss strategies for surviving – and thriving – in more difficult economic times.

After all, you’ve done it before and can do it again. Promo has shown nothing if not a remarkable resilience over the nearly three years of the COVID-19 pandemic. The incredible industry-wide pivot to selling personal protective equipment in 2020, navigating immense inventory and supply chain challenges in 2021 to produce what was collectively a great bounce-back year, and then the headwinds-defying double-digit sales growth in quarters two and three of 2022 all bear testimony that the people of this industry are fighters who persevere.

“When I look back on 2022, I find inspiration at every turn, forged by dreamers and innovators taking risks, facing down challenges and enjoying their success while shining a light on those who need it most,” ASI President/CEO Tim Andrews said in a recent year-end letter.

No one really knows what 2023 will bring. But heading into the year, promo pros should focus on what they can control and work for the best outcomes, always keeping in mind the words of ASI Chairman Norman Cohn: “The best is yet to come.”