Welcome to the Lessons Learned series, where we explore the skills and lessons that working in hospitality enables you to acquire and how they make your life a five-star one.
One of the first lessons that you learn in hospitality is how valuable communication is.
Communication is at the core of every type of relationship, whether it is a personal or professional one.
Improving your communication skills will make a massive difference in your career and your personal life.
Everyone wants to be listened to, be it your clients, partner, parents, siblings, or friends. I am sure you want to feel heard by the person you are communicating with at any given moment.
In life and at work, genuinely listening to the person you communicate with is of the utmost importance.
If you ask anyone the key to their happiness and success in life, leaving their comfort zone would definitely be one of the answers.
Leaving your comfort zone is essential for your life, even more so if you feel unhappy or that you are not on the right path in your career.
The longest study on happiness, which spanned over 80 years, showed that people who create meaningful connections are happier, healthier and live longer regardless of how much success they have in their professional lives and how much money they earn.
Some scientists place the need to connect right up there with thirst and hunger in our lives' essential needs.
If there is any year in my life that still teaches me valuable lessons, it would be 2015. I started the year knowing it would be a challenge, but I felt nothing could stand in my way and that I can do anything. And by July, I was struggling to keep my mental health.
To this day, it feels like the most challenging and hurtful, but at the same time, the most life-changing year of my life. A year in which I experienced the lowest point, only to be reborn and reach the highest peak as, thankfully, by the end of it, I finally learned how to best deal with my emotions. The fact that I worked in hospitality made a huge difference in my journey, as it helped me understand and deal appropriately with my feelings