Something to Look Forward To

Anthony Lambatos will be teaching three seminars at CSES206. Click here for more information. 

I was recently reminded of the importance of having something to look forward to. Feeling stuck in a rut, overwhelmed by an overflowing email inbox, and pulled in too many directions; I reached a breaking point and indulged in a weekend of doing absolutely nothing but lounging on the couch and watching sports. I thought this rest and relaxation would help cure my stress and re-energize me for the coming week. But that didn’t happen, it actually had the opposite effect on me. I felt more stressed out on Monday morning than I had the previous week, feeling like I should have used the weekend to get “caught up."

According to the conference board, a New York based nonprofit research group, more than 52% of Americans are unhappy at work. I don’t consider myself one of those people and I would venture to guess that most of caterers aren’t in that group either. Although we may be happy with our jobs, we all encounter times when it feels like our life is a parade of obligations, seemingly pointless meetings, and dreaded tasks. It is precisely at these times when we need something to look forward to.  Having something to look forward to, can be similar to the light at the end of the tunnel. It can help relieve stressful, frustrated and bored feelings by turning them into excitement. That excitement in turn leads to motivation.  

Stuck in my rut, I fortunately scanned my calendar and I realized that I had two awesome trips coming up within the next month.  April (my wife) and I love to travel and it had been a while since our last vacation. Seeing an upcoming ski weekend and our weeklong trip to the beach gave me the shift in mindset I needed to get motivated once again at work. I also realized that it doesn’t have to take a vacation to have something to look forward to. I began to see all kinds of things on my calendar that while they previously looked like commitments became exciting things when I remembered why I had put them on my calendar in the first place. If you’re in need of something to look forward to, it’s not too late to book your trip to Las Vegas for this year’s Catersource convention. I know I’m excited to learn from others around the country, connect with friends I’ve met in previous years and get inspired about what’s going on in our industry. I hope to see you there!