Y Me Path

Y Me Path

Jeepers, here we go again…why does this always fall on my lap?

How come this always happens to me?

Of course, they’re all coming to me for the answers…

They always do this to me…

Does this “path” sound familiar? We find ourselves here, at one time or another.

Life and work and, and, and, and _____ become tedious very quickly, all too often.  When it does, we’re quick to blame or judge or point fingers at them.  We then spiral down this unhealthy path, which is everything but productive.

Often it comes down to how we’re thinking about the situation. 

When we find ourselves in a full-on, dead sprint down the “Y Me Path”, what if we change the way we think about “it” (whatever or whomever “it” may be…)

A OneMoreStep sentiment that absolutely, positively changes everything, every single time is simply to ReShuffle “Y Me Path” …rearrange the letters, just as we could “rearrange” our thoughts about certain situations.   

It spells – E-M-P-A-T-H-Y.

What a great and powerful word – EMPATHY. 

It is truly amazing what happens when and if our thoughts of “Me” become thoughts of “We”; better yet, when our “Y Me” feelings turn into compassionate, understanding, kind-hearted, and considerate feelings. 

Just like the Y Me Path magically changes to Empathy when we look at the same seven letters differently, our outlook on an otherwise annoying and demoralizing situation magically changes (for the better…perhaps for good!) when we look at the ‘same’ situations differently -- through an empathetic lens vs. a self-serving one. 

One for the road...

Today I was speaking with some of my colleagues at work.  We were talking about Guest Service, Leadership, and delivering a fantastic experience to our Guests.  My coworker's take was simple, yet a powerful reminder.

My colleague, Kevin Brown, said, “T…all we have to do is get people to have more empathy…instead of the cliché, ‘walk a mile in their shoes’, we should be teaching and coaching for our folks to ‘get inside their (our Guests') heads’; to ultimately feel what they feel.  Then…we’ll finally have compelling reasons to deliver the level of experience our Guests expect.”

It’s a pretty simple sentiment that packs a pretty big punch.  All we have to do is change the way we think about things.  A little empathy goes a long, long way in turning bad days into better days, frowns into smiles, and frustrations into feel good, happy moments that mean the most. 

Thanks, Kevin, for the OneMoreStep reminder today. 

Have a great day.

Taylor

Live like Interns

Live like Interns…

Today several of my colleagues and I spent a few hours with our nine Summer Interns, on the last day of their 10-week internship. 

Each individual gave a presentation on an idea, a project they’ve completed, an initiative they recommend, or a ‘key takeaway’ from their experience.   

Following their presentations, we congratulated them on an internship well done, with a nice reception overlooking the Las Vegas skyline.

Watching and listening to these nine talented, future hospitality leaders speak, and having spent some quality time with many of them this summer, I’ve decided…we should all live like Interns.

Interns are:

·      Inquisitive…and genuinely interested in learning  (they listen really well)

·      Enthusiastic…and full of ideas for the future

·      Fun…and they smile ALL THE TIME

·      Fearless…yet they’re just as friendly as can be

·      Passionate…and inspired by the simplest things, yet they still dream BIG

The older we get, we tend to talk more than we listen. 

With age comes more life experience, which sometimes (as we all know) gives way to ‘life’s disappointments’; and before we know it, our ‘bright ideas’ seem less and less “possible”. 

You and I often find ourselves spiraling into the tedious daily routine that used to be fun, but for whatever reason has lost its luster; and we don’t smile as much.  

Chelsey & Kassie, from Penn State

The more we get “burned” in our relationships professionally and personally, we’re less and less willing to take chances and go for it…and before we know it, we find ourselves shutting down, socially engaging and/or personally connecting with fewer and fewer people at work or in the community.

Those plans we once had and those dreams we used to dream can easily fade away as we slowly come to grips with merely settling for…whatever…just because it’s easier that way.

Well…I’ve decided.  If given a choice, I’d rather live like interns!

·      They listen more than they talk…and...people like them.

·      They dream.  Period.  Nothing is impossible to them, and they’re FIRED UP.

·      They connect and engage…with everyone they meet. 

( And did I mention…people LIKE THEM)

·      They don’t even know how to spell – FEAR

The irony is that today nine college seniors spent a couple hours telling my colleagues and I how much they learned from us…but I could write a book on how much I just learned from them.

In fact…I’m going to start, TODAY, being more like them.  Today, we should all go back to living like interns. 

Have a great day.

Taylor

Thanks to our new friends: Brianna, Anna, Mikael, Dominique, Ashley, Kassie, Patrik, Christina, and Chelsey, for not only 10 weeks of your service, but also for the inspiration we all need, from time to time, to have fun, learn new things, dream BIG, and smile through it all…

#PassionForPossibility