Page 29 - GS230302

Education

When will you have enough?

But what is a good ending? Is the good ending when you
have enough? Enough merchants, enough money, enough
assets, enough respect?

Some people worry that by being content with what we
have, by being content with enough, we will no longer be
able to advance in our careers or personal lives, but it's
not that simple. As a young athlete, Tiger Woods referred
to "enough" as the "e-word" as if it were an expletive. He
feared a void would form if he no longer had or dominated
the game. Compare that constant need to keep up with the
peace that comes from being content with having enough.

Currently, we live in a culture of more: more money, more
merchants (for those of us in merchant services), more
social media followers, more property, more, more, more.
The search for more and better never ends, although
external accomplishments like money or status won't
make you happy, at least not long term. The desire for
more often runs counter to contentment and frequently
contradicts happiness. So instead of focusing on more, let's
focus on enough.

Enough is both exhilarating and frightening for the same
reason. Nobody can tell you what is enough. There is no
formula or set of rules to follow to get there. That can be
intimidating. But this means that the concept of enough
is not just about money. Some have defined "riches" as the
amount of free time they have, which explains why there
are so many highly content individuals with few assets
but an abundance of time.

Does enough feel elusive to you? The idea of enough and
what it means to each person might differ. Some people
think that enough is the bare minimum, while it can be a
lot for others.

Ultimately, having enough comes from within. It comes
from looking at yourself and your accomplishments
differently and understanding that having more is not
always the answer. If you can accept this, you will be
wealthier than most.

I hope you've found something useful in my ramblings
over the last year. I wish you enough!

Natasa Cvijanovic, co-founder and CEO of Tesla Payments and member
of the SEAA advisory committee, has a proven track record within the
payment industry of cultivating successful relationships with ISOs, MLSs
and strategic partners. In developing national sales channels, she pro-
vides training and coaching to sales partners to enable them to become
better business partners and advocates for their merchants, and to assist
them in building portfolios producing steady residual streams. She is
also dedicated to consistently delivering high levels of professionalism,
integrity, dependability and trustworthiness. Contact her at natasa@
teslapayments.com.

29