I ka ʻolelo no ke ola, i ka ʻolelo no kamake
In speech is life, in speech is death.
“Why did you choose writing as a way to make a difference,” a high school student asked me once.
It was an interesting question, because behind everything you do there must be a purpose. I was a bit caught off guard by the question but I put together a thought that made total sense to me.
You see, words can create emotions. Think of a time you may have read a book and began to cry. I’ll admit, I have. If you read Tuesday’s with Morrie and didn’t cry, you don’t have a heart. Or what about a time you read something that made you laugh.
No one was making you cry, no one was making you laugh, but yet you still felt an emotion. That is why I write, to stir an emotion within you to take action. To inspire, motivate, and make you feel Kū.
In ancient Hawaiian culture, words could cause life or death. They could start or end a war.
All because of emotions.
Think of times when you heard someone give a speech. What sort of emotions did it stir inside of you? I remember hearing inspiring speeches before a football game and even before a workout session.
I’ve been trying to use my words to inspire other to grab a hold of their lives to build a Kū body. I’m not just talking about a stronger body, but also a stronger mind and soul. It’s what creates a complete and fulfilling life. There is something we can all offer in this life time, but I feel many don’t find their true calling or are afraid of living it out. It’s too hard and challenging, they are comfortable and think it’s good enough.
Not YOU.
You want more. You believe you have so much more to offer and truly want to make a difference in yourself, your family, the community, and like my family always says, “Go big or go home,” so why not make a difference in the world.
A Step Away From the Keyboard
Last week, I had the opportunity to share my stories, thoughts, my philosophy behind building a Kū body, and my book Aloha to You at Na Mea Hawaii for PONO TODAY.
Although the crowd was small and the majority were family and friends, it still showed me a lot. My family and friends have never really seen me in that setting. I never really sat down to share with them my stories and thoughts about what it means to build a Kū body, which is something I have been writing and talking about for the past 2 years.
While I sat in front of an intimate audience, during my talk it all dawned on me on just how much words can really have an effect on another’s soul.
Like I mentioned in my talk, I was once told a sign of a great man is how well he can tell stories, and that was my goal for the night. To tell stories that evoked thought and made others think of their own stories.
Mind Your Words
Itʻs important to be mindful of your words. Not just the words you say but also the words you think. Words can hold so much mana and have an effect on yourself and those you connect with, good or bad.
This is all part of building a Kū body.
When you speak to others, speak with aloha.
When you think to yourself, speak with aloha.
It can be difficult to constantly speak and share aloha. Sometimes there are those days where you just not having the best day. It happens to everyone. I’m not telling you that you HAVE to be all flowery positive, and filled with Aloha 24/7. No.
But what I am saying is that we, you and I, must be mindful of the words we use in order to be aware of the possible effect we are having on our inner and outer world.
