“A Raving Review”

Last night I was looking up information on a hotel that I am staying at in the future.  I was looking at the pictures and the amenities.  I then guided my way to the section of “reviews.”  In the reviews there were over 1,500 reviews and I begin reading some of the reviews.  I read review after review and it was startling how the reviews were so diverse in nature.  Some people gave 5 stars and raved about the hotel, the food and the staff.  There were “raving reviews” about the ambiance and the cleanliness of the rooms.  As a read more there was a shift where some people gave 1 star.  These people complained about the same issues that the people who gave a raving review talked about.  They were disappointed in the hotel, the food and staff.  They said that there was too much noise and the rooms were not clean.  What?  Wait…some people had raving reviews and some people had a horrible experience.  Same hotel. Different perspective.  Hmm.  I began to think about that and some points to note about how this experience can relate to our lives.

• Everybody doesn’t share the same opinion.  In reading the reviews I noticed that not everyone shared the same opinion about their stay.  Some had great experiences.  Some had horrible experiences.  Some said the got what they paid for.  Some said they wanted a refund.  The interesting thing to take note of is that no matter who it is and what they do, everyone will have a different experience with you, some will be pleased, and some will not.  You are you and all you can do is to be who you are.  Some people will love you and some will not.  The hotel can’t change the décor or change the staff to accommodate each person.   It will be exhausting to change who you are to fit everyone comfort level.  Stay trying to be the best you can be and let others determine if they are ok with that.
• The reason for their stay was different.  Some of the reviews was based on their reason for their stay.  Some reviews were not good because of external factors.  Some of the reviews was not based on the hotel but the other guest in the hotel.  Some people were there for business and some were there for vacation and relaxation.  Their purpose drove their expectations.  How does this relate to us?  Some people have a different expectation of you based on what your purpose is in their lives.  Some people look for a different outcome from you than what others look for.  For some of the reviews that you have gotten in life, it was based on external factors that you can’t control.  Don’t be too discouraged if you get a bad review when the comments are outside of your control.
• Lastly, out of all of the reviews I read, that majority of them were “raving reviews” only a few were bad.  Even though some people had bad reviews the majority of them were raving reviews.  This lets me know that the hotel is not a bad hotel.  Just a few people had a bad experience.  You cannot allow a few bad reviews of you define your value and who you are.  The majority of the people in the reviews said they would come back again.  When I looked at the age difference of the different reviewers it was a diverse group.  Stop allowing a small percentage of people in your life determine who you are.  If you have 1,500 reviews and 15 are bad, then you are on the right track.  I have never read reviews where there were “0 bad reviews.”  Someone will always have something negative to say.  Take it for what it is worth.  Do a self-examination.  Move on and don’t let it get to you.

Be blessed and continue to get “raving reviews”.

Michael O. Oyedokun II