Go for the Gold!

With the Summer Olympics well underway,  I am always amazed by the strength, graciousness, determination, passion and respect that these athletes show day in and day out.   Composed and poised under the spotlight of pressure to bring home the medal, not only for yourself, but for your team and country.   There is nothing like a spirited race that gets your adrenaline flowing and energy high.   Enthusiasm is quite contagious.   Competition is good, whether you are competing for a gold medal in London or whether you're competing for one in your career.    Gold medals represent the epitome of standard --- the highest pinnacle to achieve  --- one that will separate us from our peers and colleagues, while establishing our achievement in a job well done.   Right?   So...we can't all be stellar athletes, shouldn't we strive to be stellar in our careers so that we own the gold there?

I've thought a lot about this over the last six days.     I have been in New Orleans for the 10th Anniversary of Tales of the Cocktail, one of the emerging industry events, that truly embodies the best of the best.   The event has grown since it's humble beginnings and it's not only a testament to the industry itself, but to the vision of the founder, Ann Tunnerman.   So... how does an industry event have any correlation to the Olympics and going for the gold?  

I was amazed and in awe of the passion and respect that, over a course of 5 days, is not only shared but embraced.    Truly, in the spirit of competition, we all want to be the best in our own right.   We work with our colleagues to create and develop to achieve the highest pinnacle possible --- the gold medal when it comes to customers, repeat business, credibility and most of all, success for ourselves and our companies.   One thing as an industry that we should all remember is that competition is good.  It makes us better.  It makes us feel challenged.  It makes us all go for the gold on a daily basis so that as we grow professionally, our industry grows as well.  

The hospitality industry is "our" country, so to speak.  Every day, we are blessed to be a part of it and enjoy the fruits of it's labor.  We should go out and promote it with pride and passion.  We should share our love of our own individual craft and companies while embracing the spirit of competition.  We should show respect and tip our hats to anyone who achieves "gold".   For me... it's motivation to see someone excel and reach the highest pinnacle.  It truly makes me want to put forth more effort and be recognized for being one of the best.  Whether, we agree or not, there is room for all of us in this big ole' world and not only does competition help to keep us all on our toes, it keeps our industry moving forward instead of backwards.  We all learn from each other.   

Even in the Olympics, as in everyday life, it's easy to lose focus, become disappointed or disengaged or want your competition to fail.   Isn't that a natural instinct at times?   I think what separates the stellar and elite are those that overcome those feelings and bring themselves back up to their gold standard.   Be the very best that you can be, day in and day out.   Show respect for yourself, your company and your industry.   Take care of your customers and provide them with your best effort every time you step out on the platform.   When you compete, do it fairly and with respect.   The best champions are those who can achieve greatness but remain humble and know that on any given day, the result could have been different.   

There are many days of Olympic events ahead, but, for each of us, our days to compete and contribute are far beyond a two week period.   As a collective group, we are all striving to be standing on that podium, whether as an individual or as a company but at the end of the day, no matter who ends up there... we still represent our industry.   

We are the ambassadors of our crafts, our companies and our industry and we should all be mindful that our words, our actions and our efforts are just as impactful as our achievements.  

Congratulations to Ann and the Tales team for a job well done.  You deserve a gold and I'm already looking forward to 2013.    For the rest of the industry, on any given day, we all deserve to be at the center of the podium and feel pride for what we do.   Each day provides us another opportunity to wake up, smile, be grateful and appreciate the opportunity to share our passions.  

Enjoy the Olympics and Go for the Gold!