I think every company, every organization, every team, every school, every household should have a position called Chief Happiness Officer. I’m serious. And it’s real.
Did you know that delivering happiness to the world is an actual movement that is being shared by a team led by Jenn Lim, CEO and Chief Happiness Office of Delivering Happiness. When I heard this, I quickly became a fan of her and the DH Movement. It’s all about sharing the Spirit of Aloha.
When you are happy you feel better about yourself, you make other’s around you happy, and everything you do during that day you approach full heartedly.
Sometimes when I meet new people, they ask me where I’m from. I tell them I live in Redlands, CA. There’s a pause. Then the person rephrases the question – Where were you born?
I respond – Hawaii.
This response is usually followed up with,”So that’s why you are so nice.” Then ”What are you doing living in Redlands when you could be in Hawaii?”
The more I learn, I’m realizing that I’m a mirror image of my parents. My mom is known as Aunty Mom to everyone because she takes care of everyone that comes within her reach. And I consider my dad the mayor of my hometown, Kailua, because everyone knows him. They are involved with so many things within the community and there is also a good chance they’ll persuade me to join their choir group one day.
But one of the main lessons that I’ve learned from my parents, was to be grateful for everything you have, inside and out.
Le’ale’a
A Hawaiian value that is part of my project towards ‘Building a Ku Body‘ mentally is Le’ale’a. Historical recollections and observations from visitors of Native Hawaiians have always mentioned the joy, happiness, and grace of the Hawaiian people.
I believe we lose sight of what actually makes us happy and become blinded by jealousy and insecurities. Leo Babauta, of ZenHabits, wrote an article on this called ‘Happiness is Uncovering What You Already Have’. It really spoke to my na’au (spirit) and got me thinking about my happiness.
You can learn that you have some amazing things inside you, that they are beautiful if you learn to accept them for what they are. -Leo Babauta, ZenHabits
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not an unhappy person. But I’m being honest and saying that I’m not fully happy which is why I started the concept of ‘Build a Ku Body’.
In order to have a balance and holistic life you have to think about every aspect. Of course you have you physical, mental, and spiritual. But there are more; career, social, family,and financial.
Part of being happy, is always striving for personal growth in all aspects of life. Josh Millburn, of The Minimalist, wrote about how Growth is so important for achieving happiness. Josh is also truthful in his words, “Growth isn’t always easy. Sometimes the most growth comes from the most difficult tasks.” But sometimes that is what separates us from happiness. Those difficult tasks.
On My Way Towards Happiness
I read Brian Tracy’s book, Maximum Achievement
As I looked over my Masterpiece, I realized something very important. All of the things that actually make me happy were things that I’ve had since I was a young child from being raised from a loving family, things I acquired over my life’s experience, and things I’m still searching for.
All the materials I placed in my Masterpiece would be cool to have but not totally necessary. It was more of a ‘would like’ than a ‘must have’.
The First Step to Find Your Happiness
Think about what actually makes you happy? Really think about it.
I believe in order to find happiness, you must look within. Don’t look for happiness in external things because that sort of happiness is short lived. Like when you got out on an impulsive shopping spree and buy an expensive toy only to use it a couple times. The excitement is over and now you are back where you started, so you go out and buy something again.
I’ve been doing a lot of internal searching and have seen the imbalance in my life. The biggest being family and finances. My whole family lives in Hawaii, and family to me is – everything. I’m finding a simple call or email to say ‘hello’ can mean a lot and allows me to feel connected.
Another area are finances and my mission to become debt free. I’ve been fighting the impulse to spend money on items that won’t add value to my life. At times I stand in an aisle and ask myself, “How is this going to add value?” Sounds cheesy. But it helps me.
There is no ‘get happy quick’ formula. It’s definitely a process that you have to make the honest decision to strive for. Remember, your inner world effects how you perceive your outer world. Look from within and you will notice a sudden change in your life.
Mahalo. Aloha. A hui hou.
