An Aloha Attitude of Love

Are you ready for tomorrow? Today! February 14 comes but once a year.

What I love about Valentine’s Day is that love does not lend itself to easy purchases. I’m sorry to burst the bubble of all you retailers out there, but speaking as a woman for the moment, gifts of chocolate, flowers, lingerie and jewelry are perceived as the easy way out. They’re nice extras, but they don’t really count. I’d venture to say that guys feel the same about their favorite brew, leis (well, leis in Hawai‘i) ties and tools.

I have been known to say that the best gifts don’t come wrapped in boxes. I do believe that.

The best gifts are the simple ones that take much more thought and intention. They take much more love.

And the good news? With the best gifts, there is no cost involved. Not only that, you get back just as much as you give, sort of like when you hear a story of a community acting like a community...

So for tomorrow, dish up your aloha, and prepare something like this for the ones you love:

Authenticity

The 100% honest to goodness real you. Who you are is good enough. Know the aloha spirit that lives within you only comes from good: You were born with it.

Love

There is no other word for it. You have it to give, and it can never run out in its abundance. It is palena ‘ole, without limits, so give it away freely.

Optimism

Be positive, be brave, and be confident that the future will only get better. After all, you can create your own future, we all can.

Humility

Be humble, be modest, be open-minded. Humility helps us understand that no on individual can satisfy every need on their own; we need each other.

Acceptance

Accept those you care most for with completely unconditional love. All their quirks, all their faults, all their baggage. Love them for who they are in this very moment.

Call this your Aloha attitude of love. Hold it in your heart, and you’ll be able to come up with the right gift you wish to give. We never Aloha alone.

Referenced Posts:
February 14 comes but once a year.
The very best gifts never come wrapped in boxes.
Gifts, by Don Blohowiak
The Best Gifts Are The Simple Ones, by Christopher Bailey
Never Aloha Alone, by Stacy Brice
A Story of a Community… Acting Like Community, by Tim Milburn

Comments

[David St Lawrence]

Rosa,

On this special day, you continue to set a shining example of leadership and love combined into one absolutely vital and synergistic whole.

Until you began blogging, the ideas of leadership and love in a business context were rarely connected. Thanks for creating a philosophy that enlightens and enriches the lives of those you touch.

Although I eschew the role of managing others these days, I find much challenge in exploring the challenges and opportunities of the post-corporate world. The precepts you outline in MWA still apply, although their application may be different, so I thank you for all you have given us.

There is a rhythm to life and it doesn't necesarily slow down when the corporate paychecks stop coming. Constant reinvention is the key to navigating the unmapped future.

I am doing my part to shed light on the values that are important in post-corporate life. You might think of it as marking a trail that is twenty years ahead of where you are now, but it is a place that you will come to before you realize it.

I find the work that you are doing to be a constant inspiration. The value of the Ho'ohana Online Community is greater than the sum of the parts. We share the best of ourselves with each other and in the process create new futures for ourselves with every exchange.

This is a long-winded way of saying that you are the epitome of the spirit of Valentines Day. Your Aloha attitude of love is the best gift of all.

Thanks!

David St Lawrence

[Rosa Say]

Mahalo nui loa David. Your thoughtful and very generous words make my heart sing.
Me ke aloha, Rosa