Creativity, Art, and Faith

In past blog series, I often asked about "recommended podcasts/ books." My friend Tom had recommended the "Rich Roll" podcast, and I was listening to an amazing podcast episode recently, with Rich Roll and his guest Terry Crews, on strength through vulnerability, true power, and transformation.

I write a lot about creativity, the arts, and faith, and Terry shares a lot about his childhood and his own creative gifts. I believe we are all born with gifts. Unfortunately, many parents, teachers, religious leaders, peers, etc... do not support or encourage an individual's innate gifts, especially when these gifts are in the arts and of a creative nature. Terry was blessed to have an art teacher who not only saw and recognized his artistic talents and gifts, but also shined a light on them; supported, and then took impressive action to make sure that Terry got on a path to manifest those gifts.

#richroll

#terrycrews

#lifelongartist

#sensitivesoul

#bornwithgifts

#creativity

I do believe that ultimately, creative gifts and talents do bear fruit and come to fruition, sometimes sooner, and sometimes later in life.. It is indeed clear that we are not to "hide" creative gifts. People are placed in our lives and on our paths to remind us and encourage us to nurture, and to find joy in our innate talents and gifts. Sometimes it is earlier in life, as was the case with Terry, and sometimes it is later in life.

Life is indeed a journey! It is always in the being and becoming, that we find the deeper wisdom of our own uniqueness and path.

#ownyourpath

#lifeisajourney

#being

#becoming

#uniqueness

Terry goes on to share a lot about his personal as well as professional challenges and struggles. I am sure that many can indeed take away and learn a thing or two, from this podcast episode..

Some of the many topics Terry and Rich chat about:

• Faith and Action

• Intimacy and Connection

• Gratitude, Peace, and Acceptance

• Artists as Idealists

• Addictions - they work, until they stop working

• The Serenity Prayer

• Service and Rabindranath Tagore's quote about service.(below)

• Terry's profound quote on "being" - "In order to have, just do, and in order to do, must be."

#faithandaction

#intimacy

#service

#connection

#gratitude

#serenityprayer

#being

#transformation

The full interview:

Terry Crews On Healthy Masculinity, Strength Through Vulnerability & True Power | Rich Roll

Rabindranath Tagore - "I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted

and behold, service was joy."

Wellness Wednesday

This week's Wellness Wednesday's topic is "Gratitude."

My Motto is "What we appreciate, appreciates."

Many tell me they do not have time to keep a gratitude journal or a have a gratitude routine. What I say to this, five/ten minutes every morning, and every evening, is not hard to take for oneself to reflect and be in gratitude. What we appreciate, appreciates.

These days, many people find all the time to complain, and there is never any joy found in complaining.

The more we can be grateful - the easier to navigate each day.

My law of 7 and 3:

Upon waking up each morning, I take five/ten minutes to reflect on

1. what I am grateful for, 2. acknowledge blessings, and 3. just breathe!

#gratitude

During the day, I stay present to 1. joyful conversations I am having, 2. words of kindness and appreciation I receive from some of my clients, 3.nice gestures from those I work with.

#joy

What are the top three things I can do each day, to be a blessing in someone else's life?

#blessings #service

What are the three things I worry about, stress about, that I am able to let go of, and allow space for "better" perspective.

#surrender

What are the three judgments I have each day, that I may be "wrong" about?

#rightperception

What are three things I may need another to assist me with today, and who is happy to assist me, if I ask?

#service

Before going to bed, I take 5/10 minutes to reflect on the day

1. what am I grateful for, 2. acknowledge blessings, and 3. just breathe!

Following are twelve of my favorite quotes on gratitude:

"This is a wonderful day I have never seen this one before." - Maya Angelou

"I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and the new." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

"'Enough' is a feast." - Buddhist Proverb

"I don't have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness - it's right in front of me if I'm paying attention and practicing gratitude." - Brene Brown

"True happiness is to enjoy the present... without wishing for what he has not." - Seneca

"Cultivate an attitude of gratitude, of giving and forgiving. Nothing can bring you peace but yourself." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Gratitude turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity. it makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow." - Melody Beattie

"We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorns have roses." - Alphonse Karr

"The thankful receiver bears a plentiful harvest." - William Blake

" Wear gratitude like a cloak, and it will feed every corner of your life." - Rumi

"Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for." - Epicurus

" Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Hospitality Hero

Zack Moghaddam

My first spin off interview of my "Hospitality Heroes"  piece, is with Zack Moghaddam,  who is Security and Parking Operations Manager at Balboa Bay Resort and Club in Newport Beach, CA.  He was kind enough to do a quick interview on July 4th weekend, to share some thoughts, insights, and perspectives.

Hope you enjoy, and possibly get a tidbit ( or more)  of wisdom,  to help you move forward on your journey in a "people" industry.

Me: So what is the one lesson you learned this past year working? If you had to pick one?

Zack: How important one's health is, and also  the other things that are  important  in life for me:  good health, faith in God,  family.

My takeaway: I think many of us, who already valued having good health, understand on a deeper level, that  it is the responsibility to one's own self  especially,  to make good decisions, and to have proper discernment regarding one's health and wellbeing.  Whether it is physical health, mental health, emotional health, spiritual health; we all make choices daily, on how we manage and hopefully thrive in these areas. 

#wellbeing

#goodhealth

#emotionalhealth

#mentalhealth

#spiritualhealth 

Me: Now that people are traveling, and this past year is behind us... with many lessons learned, and many challenges hopefully met, faced, and solved; what is one of the lessons that you would like to share about now moving forward? 

Zack: Mental Fortitude. I need to stay strong mentally, and remain positive. Staying positive, and keeping a positive mindset is imperative. Also the concept of being a 'good steward.' A 'good steward' to the industry. I am here to serve others, and give excellent guest service. The luxury guest experience is all about customer service, and being there for our guests.

My takeaway:

This last year, was especially all about mental fortitude and focus in our work. The concept Zack mentions about being a "good  steward" is significant. I believe we all have innate gifts, and talents; and we are here to be "good stewards" of what we have been blessed with. I believe we are here to  use our innate  gifts to share with others, as well as support and encourage others in our spheres of influence. 

There is a verse in the Bible, Proverbs 18:16 - "A man's gift makes room for him, And brings him before great men." I believe many in the hospitality industry, like Zack, are blessed with the gifts of loving others;  being of service; having a warm,  compassionate personality;  and a friendly demeanor. These traits are invaluable to an industry that was , and hopefully still is,  built upon service, hospitality, smiles, laughter, and genuine people who are authentically a pleasure to be around.

#mentalfortitude

#goodsteward

#innategifts

#naturaltalents 

Zack: Another lesson I learned, and still incorporate in my life and work,  is to take things one day at a time. I stay focused on the task at hand. I take one task at a time, and sometimes I take one hour at a time. I want to be excellent with what I do, and whatever the task, I want to do it with excellence. Now that people are traveling, and with the huge surge in guests coming here, as well as business demands; things can get very taxing – so one day at a time and continuing to deliver excellent guest service is at the forefront, and a priority.

My takeaway:

The "one day at a time" concept, and the "one hour at a time" concept I do believe many of us learned on such a deep level  this last year. It is definitely something to move forward with. 

For me, if I am not in the moment, and being present with what I am doing, I need to slow myself down. For me, "slower is always faster." I know this sounds like a "paradox" but it does work. When I take a moment to breathe, and slow things down;  I end up being more present, more efficient, more peaceful, and better able to engage with others, or accomplish the task at hand. This ends up being "faster" overall.

#onedayatatime

#onehouratatime

#slowerisfaster 

Me: So my last question, is about this "robot" culture...  

I notice when I call over to your Resort, there is always someone who answers the phone;  is friendly, respectful, and clearly  all about service. (Hence, maybe one of the reasons you are so busy over there with high occupancy). 

Other Resorts I have called, especially in the past couple months, and the people who answer the phone sound miserable, grumpy, and do not even know who is working at their own property.... and  then they forward  the call right to someone's voice mail or just hang up. 

Others I have called, guests have to press #1, for this; and #2 for that; etc.... For me,  I know that  I like speaking with a real person, with a friendly personality. This does not seem to be the "norm" anymore. Do you think as time goes by, the hospitality Industry will become more and more automated?

Zack: Well. I believe that one of the main factors as to why  our guests travel, and stay with us, is for the service. And yes, we are extremely busy with guests from all over, and this is good. We provide excellent service.  Myself included, I do not want to call a Resort and have the call go to some automation, press #1, press #2, etc... I prefer the industry does not move toward automation, as there still are people in our industry  who want to assist guests, and also members, as many Resorts also have members to serve as well.

My takeaway:

I agree 150% with Zack. There are still "people people" in this world, and especially in the hospitality arena.  These individuals  want to be of service, and engage with guests – making the whole travel experience a true pleasure and a  wonderful experience for those who are vacationing, traveling on business, or just having a stay-cation. Whatever the  travel plans... robots will never replace human interaction, human personality, and human warmth and compassion. 

#norobots

#compassion

#warmth

#service

Me: I want to thank Zack for this interview. It is abundantly clear,  that Zack  is a true "Hospitality Hero" - and I am blessed to know him. He has helped me much this past year, with his service, friendship, business, as well as presence.

If you want to learn more about Balboa Bay Resort- check out balboabayresort.com

#balboabayresort