General Session focuses on service and leadership

Success in anything in life comes from focusing on two things: sincerity and strategy. Thursday's General Session keynote speaker Jay Shetty, an award-winning storyteller, podcaster, and former monk, Shetty said success comes from both how deeply and intentionally you care about what you're doing and who you're doing it with and how purposeful you define and design a strategy to meet your goals.

Shetty spoke to the General Session audience briefly before leading the room through a mindfulness exercise involving all five senses and participating in a fireside chat with AAHOA Director of Corporate Communications Melissa Stern.

He shared that living as a monk for three years helped him train his mind in ways that he still relies on today - he noted it's why his New York Times best-selling book is called "Think Like a Monk" and not "Live Like a Monk." His training gave him the mindfulness toolkit to work through challenges and find happiness beyond the material world. Top among those tools in his kit: gratitude. He strives to start and end every day with a grateful thought. "When you change your first thought, you change the trajectory of the entire day," he said.

The General Session kicked off an early morning with recognition of AAHOA Members and their accomplishments. The 2021-2022 AAHOA Award Winners were highlighted by Board Chair Vinay Patel, and the current board was brought on stage as a thanks for their last year of service to the association. Next up, AAHOA Members running for positions delivered candidate speeches, and the two candidates for Board Secretary participated in a debate covering a range of important issues to AAHOA and the hotel industry.

Joining the General Session all the way from India where he livestreamed a message for AAHOACON22 attendees, Swami Brahmavihari Das with BAPS shared how leaders create leaders. By empowering and uplifting others and by connecting hearts and minds, he said leaders can help themselves, their communities, and their entire organizations grow through trust, transparency, and togetherness.