That Sweet Moment!

I walked out of a shopping mall the other day and I saw my ex - ex employer. They were standing next to a tapri having a glass of chai with a smoke. This would have been my reality had I still been working for hotels. There was this sweet moment when they saw me; where I looked into their eyes and smiled know deep down I am in a much better place than they are today, even though they held superior positions to me within the organisation at the time. 

While I was an employee, often times I was bullied by the senior members and not in a good way. There was a lot of discrimination partly because I was a girl and partly because someone found out that I came from a upper middle class household. It wasn't a fare game anymore. There was a rejoinder to every statement and a comment to every answer. To the point that it lead me to give them my resignation, Thus ending my career with the hotel trade. 

I loved working in hotels. The staff, the energy, the synergy, the team work is amazing. We laughed, we cried, we grumbled, we ate, we drank all together always. You were never alone when you worked in a hotel and there was always someone to help you. The more you climbed up the ladder however, the lonelier it got. So I bid my team good bye and started out working on my own. 

I do sometimes wish I was still with hotels because I miss the buzz and the life only another hotelier can understand. But I am one of the fortunate people to get into an industry where I get the best of both worlds; Creativity and Service.

But I learned something from my time in hotels:

1. The people you take with you along side you journey of success will also share your burden when you are in need. 

2. It only gets lonelier at the top if you want it to be. 

3. Never forget where you come from. For today you are standing at the shore but there will come a day when the current drags you in and there will be no one on the shore line to pull you in. 

So, when I stood out the mall that day and I looked at the those very people who made my life a living nightmare I realised their lives aren't any better than they were those many years ago. I can proudly say today I am happy personally and professionally. I love what I do with a passion and I meet a lot of amazing people. I also am blessed with amazing staff members that have helped me bring this company where it is today. Had it not been for them I wouldn't be here today. 

Food for thought:

It was like seeing my past infront of me and I was glad I made the decisions that have brought me here today. That moment is etched in my head where I secretly smile and pat myself on the back saying "It doesn't matter how long it takes to get there; Cause when you finally do the VIEW IS GREAT!"

SMILE, BREATH and GO SLOWLY!