Positoovity

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,

When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,

When the funds are low and the debts are high,

and you want to smile, but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit,

rest if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,

as every one of us sometimes learns,

and many a failure turns about

When he might won, had he stuck it out;

Don't give up, though the pace seems slow--

You may succeed with another blow,

Success is failure turned inside out--

The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,

And you never can tell how close you are,

It may be near, when it seems so far;

So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit--

It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

I've had this quote on my computer desktop since January 2012. It's there to remind me, when I'm bogged down by work or personal issues or money issues, that there is always a solution.

We have this thing at work called Critical Moments of Service. It's situations that can make or break a guest's stay. I know that just like we have CMS at work, there are Critical Moments of Life as well. These are the moments when someone close to you dies, when you get your heart broken, when you find yourself in debt, when you're stressed beyond belief due to work or school... these are defining moments that shape our lives. I feel that sometimes you are only as good as the person you become during a CML. For all the good you may do, if you run away when someone needs you, if you quit when you ought to have stuck it through, then that's how you'll be remembered. It's up to you to take ownership of that.

When I think about my own defining moments, sometimes I'm ashamed, and other times I'm quite proud of myself. I never try to forget any of them, because they've made me who I am. Sometimes, I will go back and laugh at myself, though. I think the most important thing to remember is that you have to keep going. Sure, you may have faltered at a defining moment, but who's to say that you won't have more chances in the future? You learn from your mistakes, you keep going, you keep your head held high, you keep smiling. Being positive is the best weapon you can have in your arsenal (even if you're forcing that smile just a bit... =P).