A Mother’s Love Revisited
As we look back on this past beautiful Mother’s Day, I am moved to gratitude. I mean, we are all thankful for our mother’s and mother figures. They provide for us, raise us and are usually the first intimate relationship we have. How can we not be thankful for that? But, this Mother’s Day was a bit different for me. I’m not sure if it’s because I am older now. Or, if it’s the fact that I now have a mother in my own house, as my wife is the mother of our beautiful daughter. Whatever the reason, this Mother’s Day is different.
For those with kids, you know how pivotal the mother figure is in the home. They are often the cleaner, cooker, nurturer, healer, tutor, stylist, driver, doctor, caterer and so much more. But, what is it about mothers that is truly magical? I believe that it is the natural and inherent nurturing disposition they all have. It always seems that regardless of circumstance, a mother will and has sacrificed her own wants for the needs of her children and family. They always seem to have a “we” thought process, rather than a societal “me” mindset.
This got me really thinking. Since motherhood has had a long and storied path of success, certainly there are some traits that can be found and applied to business – specifically hospitality. But, what are those, and how do they relate to business? To answer this, I’d like to take a minute to recall motherhood at its finest.
The year was 1985 – the month, January. A 3 year old boy that had never been out of the Greater Miami Florida area, joined his 18-month-older brother and 33 year old father on a 5 1/2 hour flight to Los Angeles, CA. The father, an immigrant from Roatan, Honduras, was leaving a 17 year career working on a cruise ship. The flight to the west coast, was a new start at building a family, as the children’s mother left earlier and decided to leave the father to raise the kids on his own.
The airport smelled of an oldness and staleness that could only be present because of the millions of people passing through its terminals every week. At the gate, a lady awaited the man and his kids. She was excited and eager to see the man and his kids, but could have never imagined the way that her life would change from that point on. Here was a woman of Yugoslav and Italian descent taking in a Honduran man and his African-American and Honduran kids. Who does this? What would drive a person to take on this challenge? And, should you be daring enough to accept that challenge, surely you’d back out when you realize that the kids are 3 and 4 years old, right? Wrong. Not only did this women take the kids in, but her mother did as well. What a beautiful display of love.
I was that 3 year old boy. The story of the travel from Miami to Los Angeles was mine. But the never ending sacrifice, education and love was that of my mom and grandmother. They truly were the sign of the nurturing, developing and caring qualities that make so many mom’s wonderful. For all practical purposes, they were the single greatest (next to my father) molding factors in my life; and, they definitely helped shape the man I am today. For that I am eternally thankful.
But, what is the trait that has led to the success of so many mothers? Its many things. But, for these purposes, I believe that it is two-fold. For one, it is the sacrifice for the greater good. The understanding that “we” are greater than any single “me”. Secondly, it is the never wavering focus on their goal/vision. I mean, think about it. A mother’s main goal in life is to give her children everything they need and prepare them to be successful in the future. This is as selfless a goal as I can imagine.
What if a business could achieve this? What if everyone at the workforce of a company had the “we before me mindset”? And, what if that was coupled with an unwavering focus on the collective goal? Imagine how successful they would be. For one, you would probably have a workforce that was loyal, efficient, successful and excited to come into work. Now imagine, if you will, a family of hotels that provides that to all of their guest. We, at the BLVD Hotels family, strive to deliver that level of service on a day in and day out basis. Sure it’s a work in progress. But it is a work, nonetheless, that we are committed to with unwavering dedication. It is our goal that one day, in the near future, all of our guest can say that they were able to Live Beyond Expectations™ with the BLVD Hotels.
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Notable news: VIYA Spa by BLVD will be complete in Fall 2015
Splash Lounge will be opening Fall 2015, BLVD Hotel Costa Mesa
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