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Sarah writes
"One day over breakfast this week, my 5-year-old daughter was really sad that she is not a school year older because she would love to already be in primary school with some friends who already started. (Here in Austria, school starts in September after the child turns 6).
My 7-year-old son – whom I actually thought was not even listening – suddenly turned to her and said:
"I know it's hard when you can't change something Amelie, but your age is something you definitely can't. Do you think you can find peace with it?"
Just "WOW!", right?
We can all take a lesson from his wise words that reminded me of the Serenity Prayer:
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
courage to change the things I can,
and wisdom to know the difference.
There is a lot in today's world that we cannot change. The news can be so depressing it is hard to bear. While I do believe in good old-fashioned positivity, I also feel that crossing fingers and rejoicing four leaf clovers is nowhere near enough.
All business owners have a responsibility to do everything possible to take better care of their location and the people around them. Hotel owners also have a unique opportunity to enhance people's lives by crafting unforgettable wow moments that will stay with them forever.
So here is my question for you:
Deep down, can you confidently say that you intentionally work to build a better destination as well as enhancing people's lives as you go about running your business and planning your packages?
Imagine if every tourism accommodation owner in the world made just a handful of small changes towards building a better destination, while at the same time being totally confident that their offer and service truly gifts their guests the respite they need and the memories they yearn for.
I have clearly done something right as a parent given the sweet and wise response from my son to his sister. But that serenity prayer is powerful stuff, right?
As I recited it to them and I watched the way they absorbed the words, I found myself questioning whether I truly live my life that way.
Because I like to believe I am superhuman 🙂 I admit that I often like to think I can change things that I really can't, and I certainly don't profess to be intrinsically wise, (though I do hold dear the concept of lifelong learning which definitely helps).
However, I know for sure that I have courage to change the things I can. I don't want my children to ask me why I didn't do more to address climate change, biodiversity loss, and social injustice as they face an increasingly weakened world.
Now those are big phrases, and there is of course not one person who can successfully address them all, but together we can.
My personal solution to tackle these big topics is to do what I do best: teach hoteliers like you fresh marketing strategies that resonate with today's consumer while at the same time offering tailored support to get you started as easily as possible to address the issues that matter the most in your location.
Every modest action can truly make a difference.
As the wise Dalai Lama once said: "If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito".
I do get though that you feel you just don't have the time to learn new ways of doing things with all those urgent tasks on your everyday to-do list.
But could you recite that serenity prayer and be confident that you really are doing all you can to make a difference in your corner of the world?
Yes, it will take time, courage, clarity, and structure. My promise to you is that if you carve out the time and find the courage, I will provide the clarity and structure.
My new Modern Marketing for Independent Hotel Owners is a proven process that starts by defining your unique messaging and revealing a reusable 30-day content strategy, before tailoring what you a) are able to do within your business, with b) what your destination needs the most, so you can take solid action steps to being kinder to the planet and the people around you where you are.
Sign up here to receive more info soon and be invited to the join next cohort, and do feel free to share this email with any other hotel, lodge, b&b, safari camp, self-catering, or hostel owners who you know would benefit from this kind of support and tailored approach.
So, in gratitude to my 7-year-old for inspiring me to write this email, I invite you to take your business where your mind has already wandered."
