I’m sure you’ve heard the statement, “if you love your job you’ll never work a day in your life!” What if I told you that isn’t true? Now don’t get me wrong, if you love your job you will enjoy the work, but it is still work.
I am coming up on my 3rd anniversary with the Walt Disney Company. In 3 years I have worked in 4 different locations and 2 different roles. I have made so many friends, connected with many leaders, resolved countless guest issues and made just as many magical moments. I absolutely love my job and know that I am destined to grow in this company… ya know when we can go back to work after Corona.
But no matter if you love your job, it will still be work. Every day that I go to work, I have a guest who will challenge me. Not every challenge is caused by a guest either… sometimes the systems just don’t play nice. And there are 2 types of guests when it comes to dealing with these issues the one who apologizes for everything even if they could not have avoided it. And the one who will take it as a personal attack that this has happened to them. Can you imagine which is the easier one to help? Does it matter? No, not really. When I was studying hospitality at the University of South Carolina we had it drilled into us in class after class about empowerment. This means that we—the frontline workers of hotels, restaurants, bars, and theme parks—are given the power to help the person in front of us however we see fit. We are given the power to do our jobs
When you are looking for a job, what are you looking for or and what is most important to you? No one can blame you for wanting a high paying job or one that helps you achieve your goal of travel. But even if you find those things make sure it is something that you genuinely enjoy. How many times have we heard the sad story about a celebrity who has everything from an outside perspective and yet they’re not happy.** A very wealthy family I know has their heirs set up to receive their trusts when they are 35, there are probably other stipulations as well but the age is the only one I know—and for the purpose of this post, it is the only one that matters. The age restriction ensures that each person has had time to grow up and make their own way/money. But you always know when someone turns 35 because it’s when they build their dream homes.
Sitting in my hospitality classes, hotels did not ever appeal to me but I loved restaurants. The idea of planning a menu, working with chefs and buyers truly excited me. I have always had a love of food and people and I liked to joke “no one is angry when you’re pouring them beer”. When I got to Disney I got my taste of the food industry and as a “front-line” cast member I learned it wasn’t for me. I may like to revisit the food industry when I have worked up to management but for now I found my love at the front desk of resorts. My job stresses my friends out, the idea of having everyone come to you with questions and complaints from their entire day scares them. But I LOVE it. I love the challenges and being given a chance to fix them. I love when there is a difficult situation that a guest is able to walk away satisfied knowing someone really cares about them. I love that I can help with most all the issues and didn’t lose the ability to give someone a cupcake. I can still walk down to the restaurant and help the guest pick their treat, but now I get to show that we are a team. I can give you the snack credit for a cupcake and the cast member in the cafe can hand it to you.
I found my passion for guest services and I love what I do… but I work every day. I can’t help it! I go to a park and see a lost guest, I’m going to offer to help… but that didn’t feel like work did it?
**Go for your millions, just make sure you’re happy before you do it.
The Wordy Over Thinker 