I am a firm believer in the clichés ‘everything happens for a reason’ and ‘what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger’. Getting past something can be difficult. You still consider it, it’s on your mind or at the very least in the back of your head, and it can determine the types of future decisions you make. But that doesn’t mean you stand still, allowing the world to pass you by.

Lucky for us, executives in the flexible packaging industry are not allowing the world to pass them by. Quite the contrary: They are feeling much more optimistic about the industry and the economy as a whole. I would call it cautious optimism. And that’s not a bad thing. We all must take our past experiences and remember those experiences for future decisions.

With that in mind, executives seem to be happy to recover with cautious optimism. It is with cautious optimism that the industry will be able to continue on the upswing through innovation, improvements, and of course, a positive attitude.

By taking notes and learning from others, we can make this industry extremely successful.

It’s really time to pick ourselves up and pour ourselves into the business that we know and love. Be smart and be resourceful. Take chances, but also think things through. But most of all, never forget what you went through these past couple of years, and how it made you feel. That will keep the determination and drive alive.