January 2004: On Ka la hiki ola, the dawning of a new day.

Aloha mai kakou,

Hau'oli makahiki hou, Happy New Year! Or better yet, Ka la hiki ola, welcome to the dawning of a new day. What will it hold for you? Whatever you decide.

For me January always presents a clean slate upon which I can start fresh, it's a month filled with promise and hope. Some years I do write new year's resolutions, usually cagily giving them a different name that will hold my interest longer, like "promises to keep" or "things that will make a big difference for me" - something like that. Last year I just called them "initiatives" and write down a list of things I could maybe do that I'd never done before, and I actually got some of them done!

Recently I came across the writings of an author named Luci Swindoll. She shared what had happened for her when she'd decided that what she needed most for a new year was a "soul shape up". These were her "wants":

• A meaningful relationship with God: This is primary. I want it every day.
• A sense of homeostasis: Wherever I am in the world, I want to be "at home". (She's an author and professional speaker who travels constantly.)
• Contentment in all circumstances: I want to feel at peace. No more striving.
• An abiding knowledge that my life has purpose: I want a reason to get up every morning. (Sounds like Ho'ohana - working with intent and purpose.)
• Enough money to meet my needs: I don't want to be rich, just comfortable.

She then explains, "Once I outlined these rules of thumb, I relaxed inside. Other things may be desirable like good health or solitude or a great vacation, but these remain my top five. And guess what? They're mine more often than not."

There's something about her list that speaks to you, doesn't it? The word that hit target on my first reading was that word contentment ... mmmmm ... I could go for that.

I've actually been blessed with a lot of contentment lately, but reading what she wrote served as a mind-opener, for I've been programmed so much for striving- Kulia i ka nu'u as we say, strive for the highest summit. There's such peace and pleasure in the feeling of contentment you have when you simply don't have to strive-or decide not to.

So here's my suggestion this month: rethink the whole resolution thing. Write down your wants, and relax inside. Or what the heck, prove us both wrong: write down what you absolutely lust after right now, and go for it!

Book of the month: The Five People you Meet in Heaven, by Mitch Albom. He's the same author that had written Tuesdays With Morrie. You MUST read this book. I've been reading far too many business books lately, and this one was to be my reintroduction to fiction. What a gem it turned out to be! So much richness, drama, color and imagination is packed in such a small book. Couldn't put it down once I'd started it, and finished it in an afternoon sunk into the comfort of my living room couch.

For those of you Type A personalities (we do tend to flock together...) who are more than ready to roll back into business after the holidays, here's a link for you: http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/35/pfeffer.html Why Can't We Get Anything Done? The article was written in June of 2000, but it still rings true in many ways. Chock full of stuff to think about in your own business.

It's here, 2004. I hope you get what you want, and I do hope you relax inside.

Rosa

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