Take this job and love it!

 

As the holiday weekend approached this past week, I looked forward to a brief but much needed getaway. Labor Day has come to be celebrated by most of us as the symbolic end of the summer and the beginning of the college football season.  We certainly need time away from our busy schedules, but in doing so our work deserves occasional thought and reflection.

Like most of us in this great business I found my calling in hospitality quite by accident. I took a job at the Sheraton Boston Hotel as I waited to ship out to Viet Nam while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps. I found the work both challenging and fulfilling in ways that allowed me to interact with and serve others. I was fortunate to have a series of mentors who served as good examples and taught me the business. After 46 years I am happy to report that I am still passionate about the hotel business and continue to love my job.

One of my favorite things to do now is to share some of my real life work experiences as well as teach others about the history of the hotel business. I find great joy in teaching the “Foundations” class which is offered to new associates of Hotel Equities several times a year. I like to remind class participants that life is too short to be doing something that they don’t enjoy and even encourage them to leave if they can’t be passionate about their work.

In my opinion the true meaning of success is to find something that you enjoy doing and then find someone willing to pay you for doing it. 

Hospitably,
Fred Cerrone