Yes, my job matters

My computer and I are currently in a love hate relationship and someone has decided to keep acting up. For now getting a post up isn't my number one computer priority so posting will probably be a little sporadic until I replace it some time in July. But make sure you're following along on Twitter and Instagram because those postings will be much more frequent. 

One aspect of my current job that I really struggled with for a long time was the feeling that what I do makes no difference. For the most part I spend 8 hours walking the casino floor interacting with guests. I am smart, articulate, and driven yet I'm mostly paid to walk around and talk to people all day? For someone who has interned on Capitol Hill and once dreamt of being the White House Press Secretary or teaching in mission schools in Africa this was a hard pill to swallow. At risk of sounding like a total brat, I more often than not felt better than my job. It was really difficult to be motivated to give it my all when I felt so negative about what I was doing. After some soul searching and conversations with people I really respect at work I realized how very wrong my thinking was. No, I do not go to work every day and work towards curing cancer or solving America's foreign diplomacy problem but what I do does matter. Hospitality, retail, food and beverage, really anything in the service industry often gets overlooked as not real jobs, and while none of this may be life or death, it still matters.

My favorite quote is "Be the change you wish to see in the world," and I've finally realized that through my job I get to be that everyday. When you do a really great job working in the service industry you've made someone's day better. Wether that's helping someone pick out the perfect first date dress, getting a complicated food order completely correct, or simply being extra cheerful while listening to someone tell you about their 8 hour drive to start their vacation, these seemingly small gestures usually go a long way. I still don't love my job and I'm still very much on the job hunt, but I have realized this is an industry I enjoy because it brings people joy. The other day I revealed my desire to be a travel writer; I hope to work in a variety of tourism and hospitality jobs so that I can have the best insider's secrets to share with others one day. So be on the lookout for my book or column in Travel and Leisure in about 10 years!