“Life offers us
many opportunities
some dare us
to be great,
some help us
to reach our dreams,
while others
enable us
to live to our heart’s content
Regardless of what path
opens up…
take a chance,
seek the unknown,
bring clarity
to your true purpose
find out who you truly are
and be the best
version of yourself
Share it with everyone
and
make a mark in this world.”
“When things in your life become stagnant and you’re no longer happy with what you’re doing…then figure out what’s truly important to you. Create your own happiness. Find the catalyst that will set your life on the right path.”
Despite all the bumps,
stumbles,
trips,
and falls
along the way…
the journey is what makes us
But every now
and again
on your journey,
take a moment
to pause…
look back
and see just how far you’ve come
and
say to yourself,
“Hey, I’ve done alright so far.”
Stand tall,
and be proud
of where you started,
where you are at this very moment
and
where you’re destined to be.
“Hope“ will always dictate your effort!
When the chips are all down
and your luck has run out,
take several steps back
cast aside any doubt
There are often times
when things don’t go your way,
you choose wrong, you fail
making mistakes throughout the day
You’ve just hit a rough patch
in this journey called life,
just roll with the punches,
bid adieu to the strife
In the midst of this insanity
there’s always a ray of hope,
that light at the end of the tunnel
is what helps you to cope
You’ll get through this dilemma
and will reach the other side,
problems encountered hereafter
is taken all in stride
Take pride in yourself
you’ve fought the good fight,
your character has mettle,
inner strength shown outright
So take charge of your life
when things go awry,
head straight forward, show no fear
wave those bad days goodbye.
There are times
when I often wonder
“What is my purpose in life?”
This conundrum,
this perplexing dilemma
hinders my daily progress
“Do I continue as I’ve been?”
“Or do I alter my path?”
With deep contemplation
and extensive introspection
I’ve learned that
I have no real true goal
As long as I let my heart
guide my intentions
and lead my actions,
my journey has meaning
Striving not for
fame, wealth or success,
but achieving self-worth,
being of value,
spreading my love and light
Contributing to the pool
of goodwill and positivity
in this world
is what I was meant to do.
While channel surfing couple years ago, I happened upon a channel that featured a 2014 movie called “A Most Violent Year”. Although I consider myself a movie buff, I’ve never really heard of this movie until that one fateful day. I won’t tell you what the plot was because I stumbled upon it and really didn’t watch it till the end. But I did happen upon a scene where a man by the name of Abel Morales said “When it feels scary to jump, that is exactly when you jump, otherwise you end up staying in the same place your whole life.”
This one line totally resonated with me and I just had to write it down. I turned off the TV and soaked in those words. I took it to heart and it quickly became etched within my subconscious. You could almost say that I had an epiphany of some sorts.
This one quote, this one line from a movie I have never seen told me that in life, you need to take chances regardless of the outcome. There are times when you’ll succeed and there are times when you’ll fail, but you must learn from it in order to grow into the person that you were meant to be. Life is too short to play is safe, it needs to be explored with eyes wide open. Life if full of endless possibilities with the potential to be great.
I took this to heart and felt that I needed to try anything even if it took me out of my comfort zone. I lived by the code of being open to different things; doing so would broaden my horizons both mentally and physically. Living by this way of thinking helped me to try different things; just facing the impossible or the uncomfortable with complete abandonment. Living this way made me realize that to do these things require both strength and faith; the will to pursue what your heart desires with the self-confidence to know that you’ll achieve something positive from it regardless of the results.
Ever since then, I’ve been bestowed with nothing but great outcomes. I dared to take a chance and came out a winner so to speak; I count my blessings everyday for doing so. So if you are faced with doing something that takes you out of your comfort zone, go all in and bet on yourself. The first step will be scary, terrifying even…but the end results will be much more rewarding. Take that leap and dare to be great!
Hawaii is unique in the sense that we really have a multi-cultural atmosphere; yes, every state and country has a melting pot culture as well but they’re not an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with nowhere to go.
We are so isolated that the essence of good and stable relationships is important for collective existence. We think of ourselves as one big community where we just find a way to live and work together. We “talk story”, share customs and meals and influence each other. We take what’s best from each other’s cultures and fuse them together to create this place.
The way we interact and treat one another is how the “Aloha Spirit” is spread. It’s like an expression of kindness, hospitality, spirituality, cooperativeness, humility, unity and graciousness all rolled into one that we share with others, whether it be family, friends, acquaintances or strangers.
Whether you grew up here or a transplant from somewhere far, this attitude becomes engrained in your psyche. It’s a part of our life; we treat everyone like family. If you come here for a visit, just stop and look around. You can’t miss it because it’s seen everywhere, every day.
It’s the person that lets you cut into their lane during gridlocked rush hour, the next door neighbor that gives you fruits from their backyard, the people that come out in droves for a bone marrow drive for a family’s child, the person pulling over to help a stranger with a stranded vehicle on the freeway, the lady that welcomes a stranger with open arms at a party and treats them like a long-time friend, the guy that informs a tourist where the choice spots to go surfing or fishing and what to avoid, the feeling of trying to go above and beyond to help someone in need while being courteous in the process.
I could go on and on and give tons of examples but you get the picture; being hospitable is in every corner of the world. I just wanted to give a brief light into what the “Aloha Spirit” was about. Being tasked with explaining it through a blog was quite difficult for me because it’s just a way of life here.
The “Aloha Spirit” is just spreading goodwill to everyone we meet; sharing a smile, helping out, being friendly, showing that we really care about you. So if you get a chance, it doesn’t matter where you were born or where you’re currently living…maybe you could help spread the “Aloha Spirit” and increase the positivity in the world.
Midlife, Maniacal & Me 