-Mary Kwaena Pukui

Do you remember the first time you ever felt powerful and invincible? I do. And every time since then has only expounded and amplified on that state of mind and contentment. It’s a surreal belief of confidence and certainty. For me the only comparison I guess would be falling in love. There’s this aura of perfection and love that surrounds the other person while simultaneously sending waves of absolute wonderment and passion to the outside world as well. Every moment is unlimited potential, because you’re amazed that the next minute and the next hour and the next day, could be any more perfect and crystalline.

Each one of us has the same ability to connect to that state of mind of absolute certainty and attain our dreams. Because you know that you know what you know and that’s all that matters. That belief creates opportunities that arise for you to act on which then produces positive effects which justify your original belief that you can attain what it is that you want. As the cycle continues it naturally creates momentum and the journey strengthens. It’s your beliefs that lead you to do what you did the day before that ultimately leads you to a happier today and successful tomorrows.

I began pondering about this today and it just seems so simple. For me, when I got started, I just knew it was going to work, because it ‘had to’. No doubt about it. When I began my cleaning business, I was a single parent of two boys. I had zero. Nothing. No savings and no credit cards and no loans to fall back on. I also didn’t have any time to waste. What I did have were the cutest little boys that I loved more than anything. I made it happen because of the beliefs that worked for me and I didn’t stop at no and I didn’t take anything personal either. So, like this picture above, looking inside the tube, you gotta stay focused because, really, it’s a given. It’s a must. It’s an absolute certainty that you’ll end up on the other side looking back and know that you killed it and had a blast doing it too.

Everyone has their own reasons, their own dreams and their own path. The real ticket is to remember how powerful our beliefs are and to believe in your dreams with absolute clarity and conviction. The rest will all fall into place.

Mahalo a nui loa and e malama pono.

The Aloha spirit is real simple. You give and you give… and you give from here (the heart) until you have nothing else to give. – Rell Sunn

I cannot say enough good things about Rosa Say, author of Managing with Aloha. She is inspiring professionally and spiritually. Below is an excerpt from her book, and website, the 9 Key Concepts:

The 9 Key Concepts

The first two, Aloha and Ho‘ohana, are also values: I think of them as the guiding lights of Managing with Aloha. You will also notice that I use Kākou, the value of inclusiveness and “language of we” in these descriptions, for they refer to we when using my book together, we in the Ho‘ohana Community of MWA practitioners, and we within my own company, Say Leadership Coaching, founded to help bring MWA to workplaces within a for-hire consultancy.

1. Aloha:

Aloha is the genuine spirit of all relationships, and the fertile ground from which everything else will thrive. Your Aloha is the authenticity you bring to your connections with others, and to the self-expression of your work. Everyone has aloha; we help you bring it to fuller expression within whatever you do.

2. Ho‘ohana:

This is the Hawaiian value of worthwhile work. Work with passion, with purpose and intention, and with full joy while realizing your potential for growth and creativity. When you Ho‘ohana you create your best possible life and your own destiny.

3. Value Alignment:

Work with integrity by working true to your values. Focus all efforts on the right mission at the right time, for it honors your sense of self and brings compelling visions within your reach. For a business, deliberate value-alignment creates a healthy organizational culture for everyone involved.

4. The Role of the Manager Reconstructed:

In today’s workplaces, managers must own workplace engagement. The “reconstruction” we require in Managing with Aloha is so this expectation is reasonable, and so it is valued as critically important: Managers can then have the desire and ‘personal bandwith’ for assuming a newly reinvented role, one which delivers better results both personally and professionally.

5. Language of Intention:

Language, vocabulary, and conversation combine as our primary tools in business communications: What we speak is fifty times more important than what we write (yes, this is coming from someone who is an author too!) The need for CLEAR, intentional, reliable and responsive communication is critical in thriving businesses. Drive communication of the right messages, and you drive momentum and worthwhile energies.

6. The ‘Ohana in Business:

The best form for your life can be the best form for your ‘Ohana in Business® as well, where the goals of each will support the other. A business can be more than self-sustainable and profitable: It can thrive. We learn a value-based business model and organizational structure simultaneous to learning productivity practices which drive ROI (return on investment) and ROA (return on your attentions).

7. Strengths Management:

Keys 1 through 6 have put a great foundation in place for your business to thrive within: Together they have created the best possible launching pad for your organizational culture. Now we turn to bigger investments made in each employee, business partner, and stakeholder involved, so you can truly say, “Our people are our biggest asset” —and mean it. Cooperation, connectivity and collaboration evolve to optimization and co-creation.

8. Sense of Place:

Think “working in my neighborhood.” Sense of Place is about greater community locally and connectivityglobally. It is saying thank you, and engaging at a higher level with those Places which have gotten you this far, and continue to nourish you daily in a multitude of tiny ways that collectively are absolutely HUGE factors in your success. It is giving back, recognizing that Place nurtures and sustains us; it shapes our experiences and lends cultural richness to life.

9. Palena ‘ole (Unlimited Capacity):

This is your exponential growth stage, and about seeing your bigger and better leadership dreams come to fruition. Think “Legacy.” Create abundance by honoring capacity; physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual. Seek inclusive, full engagement and optimal productivity, and scarcity will be banished.

What will be the result you achieve when you work to manage with Aloha? New learning, increased energy, passionate commitment to vision, and dramatic shifts in personal engagement. Said another way, you will grow as you learn the Ho‘ohana of self-management and self-leadership as you make extremely valuable contributions to whatever organization you are presently involved with.

With my aloha,
~ Rosa Say

Rosa Say is an entrepreneur, business coach and zealous managers’ advocate. She drew from a 30 year corporate history in writing Managing with Aloha and in the 5 years since the book was published, Rosa has become a global community activator and cultural designer intent on improving organizational health in the workplace.

Additional Suggested Reading: Why Choose Values

Visit Say Leadership Coaching to learn more: The Services We Offer You

e malama pono

Mālama pono means ‘take care of yourself’. When you put yourself first, your business and your life reflect that graciously with harmony and abundance. Here’s a reference list that can be helpful in clarifying ones priorities, personally and professionally:

What Does it Take: 

Perseverance and failure cannot coexist. When all is said and done, perseverance is the ultimate success insurance. Nothing can take its place. Living your life with ambition and drive is the key to creating success.

What Do You Want: 

Even though to some, this is pretty straight forward question, a few might still be pondering what direction that they’d like to go in. So, still not sure which career is right for you?   You’ll be amazed at how easy it is to pin-point after utilizing the Setting Career Goals questionnaire.

What Do You Have: 

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”
— Melody Beattie, best selling author and journalist 

What Are You Going To Do: 

Based on your priorities, what are the necessary tasks that you can do to achieve your goals?

Write a mission statement in 5 easy steps! The process outlined by Dr. Hansen is:

1.  Identify Past Successes
2.  Identify Core Values
3.  Identify Contributions
4.  Identify Goals
5.  Write Mission Statement

What Steps Are You Committed to Taking:

For myself personally, I start backwards from attaining my ultimate goal or desire and back track from that. It enables me to be more precise and thorough. Of course, you can also start from making a list from say 1 through 6 and use short immediate actions you can take. Complete these actions starting from one week, one month, three months, six months, one year and two-five years.

Whats Next: 

There are two ways of tracking your success: quantitatively and qualitatively. 

In order to achieve measurable results, analyzing your previous steps is an important process towards keeping innovation moving forward in your company. 

A big part of innovation is staying on top of market trends, understanding customer needs and wants and consistently looking to the future to grow the company.

“A HUI HO A KA KOU MALAMA PONO”

“Until we meet again my beloved friends may your life always be in harmony and in balance”

My general principle has always been more or less, this…is what worked for me, if you want to achieve this…then you can also do what I did…etc. But, instead of taking it personally from my boys that most people don’t want to clean and do that for a living (which completely simplifies and minimizes the whole business) but more like “Mom, you’re doing so great in business, just think about those things and try to help people start whatever business that they want, but help them along in the same way”. Ok, so after talking to my kids, who are so sweet, eloquent and brutally honest; mentioned that maybe I should write another book for starting your own business. Obviously, the idea has passed my thoughts a zillion times, but hearing it from my boys was like a wake up call. Kind of similar to the iPhones new app for an alarm if your alarm doesn’t go off  

So, looking at my brown and blue eyed angels, how could I not be inspired and grateful for being their mom and having such kind words of wisdom come my way?

I heard a tweet earlier today from @aplusk, which was actually a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt, “Small minds discuss people. Average minds discuss events. Great minds discuss ideas.”  Thanks to the power of the flower, (Happy Lei Day, one more time May 1st) I am officially embarking on finishing that book I started for anyone interested in being an entrepreneur and will dedicate it to the brown and blue eyes that I adore.

I believe that most successful businesses understand the message that Eleanor was stating and embraced all it’s facets. Don’t be so grandiose and removed that you can’t relate with the finer details in life, such as the needs of the people that you serve. Also, be an active participant in society and stay afloat with current events and upcoming festivities for the masses at large and present your business accordingly. And finally, stretch your personal and professional goals and create landmarks that encourage creativity and crushes conformity. Liberating ourselves from our selves, is the biggest and yet most rewarding challenge that we can face. Such a great idea could only have come from Mrs. R.

Mahalo a nui loa and me ke aloha pau ole 

May Day is Lei Day in Hawaii!

Hawaii 2009 Lei Day

Hawaii’s Lei Day Festival includes lei-making contests, games, crafts and food. Afterwards, the finished leis are taken to the tombs of the royal ali’i as offerings. The Great Kamehameha can hold thousands of leis and proudly displays them with grace. May 1, 1928, was the first Lei Day of Hawaii, honoring the art and history of making lei’s. Hawaii loves her holidays and festivities!

Oahu  2009 LEI DAY FESTIVAL info.

All Islands  2009 LEI DAY FESTIVAL info.

Kauai 2009 LEI DAY FESTIVAL info.

Big Island 2009 LEI DAY FESTIVAL info.

Maui Info. 2009 LEI DAY FESTIVAL info.

Videos:

Art of Lei Making:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPe7PQzFccc&eurl=http://www.worldhum.com/travel-blog/item/may-day-is-lei-day-in-hawaii-20090424/&feature=player_embedded

Past Festivals:

http://video.about.com/gohawaii/Celebrate-Lei-Day-in-Hawaii.htm

Flower Lei Photo courtesy of: http://www.hawaiimagazine.com/blogs/hawaii_today/2008/4

Your 10 hour work week!

If you want to make $8,500.00 or more, that’s fine too, but you have to ask for it. When you’re starting a business, sometimes it’s easy to stay in your comfort zone and try to maintain and manage what business you do have coming in. But, the real secret is asking for what you want and not settling on easy. Easy is not being evicted because you can cover your rent. Easy is not being sued because you have insurance. The other option of course is to own the building as a corporation or LLC and collect rent from other people or be pro-active and stand up for yourself by hiring a lawyer and sue the other party and win your counter-suit.

Being a successful business owner takes a slight mental adjustment so you can create an abundant life, not just a different way to earn an income. One has to step aside from the employee state of mind and start acting like the business owner with an investor’s quick mind. Investors negotiate and exceed their financial goals because they expect to be rewarded for their services. They always think about how they can add more value to their customers so that in return, they can raise their own profit margin.

The most happiest and successful business owners never gripe or chastise others. They are concerned with finding solutions, not on creating more problems. If you look around yourself, I’m sure you’d agree when you listen to the way people talk about their lives. They either focus on the problem or focus on their resources.

Being a business owner is about making a quantum leap from accepting a life full of complaints and disappointments to a life of personal and financial independence. Making a lot of money is easy when you know how to ask for it. Demand a higher standard for your self and your company and your clients will happily pay you these higher rates. Life is a beautiful thing and before you know it, years rush by and I don’t want you to live with regret or poverty. If you’re one of the few driven individuals that ask for what you want in life, then head over to The Soule House for more details.