‘Imi ola Gets Personal
Managing with Aloha was published in November of 2004. So as I write this, nearly three years later, one of the questions I am most frequently asked in our Ho‘ohana Community is, “When is your next book coming out?”
I’m not sure. I suspect it won’t be for a while, and my living of ‘Imi ola, our value of the month, has a lot to do with it.
Flickr photo credit
The publishing of MWA was a defining moment in my life. It launched me into self-employment after a long corporate career and it became a business card of sorts that was way more than I’d ever imagined it would be. I nalu’d it, and went with the flow I found myself in, wholeheartedly welcoming the newfound opportunity I had to bring MWA to more organizations. It created a life for me quite unlike the one I’d had before, and it’s been a very, very good life. I am living within my ho‘ohana, counting my blessings daily that I can do so.
What is my ho‘ohana? I describe it on page 32 of MWA:
I love to teach, and in particular I love coaching managers. I love the science of business and the democracy of free enterprise, where ultimately the customer rules. I love reading, I love the written word and I love the study of how language can influence relationships between people. I love the new global possibilities of networking. I love the notion that we can choose our own destiny and create it. I get passionate about all these things, and by indulging my passions I gave life to Managing with Aloha.
When you choose to live the value of Ho‘ohana, you choose work that is part of who you are; you enjoy it. You choose meaningful work that is worthwhile and satisfying for you, and thus it can be done with true intention.
‘Imi ola however, is about creating your best possible life. That’s something I’m still working on, and in the context of Managing with Aloha I’m not done exploring that yet.
Newness is thrown at us constantly. Variety of every persuasion vies for our attention. We live in a day and age where we can rush so many things trying to sample them all, however personally, I’m not willing to rush it with my living of Managing with Aloha. I’m not willing to have it become “old news” because I’m the very one trying to publish new headlines.
Writing is something I love to do, and that “next book” is in drafts. Actually, four of them are. When they are done, they may be books, or they may be something else. They’re still simmering, and when they’re all cooked up I’ll know. Meanwhile, I blog to share tastes with you, so I get the feedback I need when I return to my stove, stir and season. However there is still food on the table, and it’s called Managing with Aloha. It’s food which nourishes me, much in the way that work sustains the missions we’ve committed ourselves to because they light the way toward a vision which inspires us, keeping us reaching for it.
In chapter two of MWA I write of Ho‘ohana, encouraging you to get back your life for YOU by choosing work that creates the life you want to live. Reaching higher, and striving to fit your dream of the best possible life with that work, is where ‘Imi ola comes in. Never for a moment doubt that the work you do profoundly influences the life you lead. The work of MWA has made that quite clear to me in my own life.
In the conventional way of thinking, cranking out more books helps publishers keep their authors on the readers’ radar. I want more than your reading attention; I want MWA to truly work it’s aloha magic for you in the way I know it can. Therefore, I know that if I have attention to spare right now, that’s where I have to focus it, not in finishing up one of those other four book drafts. I need to walk my own talk, and have the discipline of self-management and self-leadership help me live and work with the values of Aloha myself too. I’m not about to follow the route of conventional thinking if it’s not my sweet spot where Ho‘ohana and ‘Imi ola align themselves.
Why start being conventional now? :-)
I love to write, however right now, I want to work on being a better coach with this Hawaiian sensibility for work I call Managing with Aloha. I want to, and I know I must, because I know it is my ho‘ohana. For example, when I do what I ask you to do, live with aloha by practicing it in our value of the month program here, I coach with better empathy. It becomes my ‘Imi ola, the way I live my best possible life. The writing will continue to be a part of that; for right now, I simply choose my blogs over new books.
Mahalo for understanding, and for being patient with me. When I’m ready to release that next book, the Ho‘ohana Community will be the first to know!
Posts which may explain more of a few references above:
- About our Value of the Month program: Ho‘ohana! Everything you need, you have.
- And specifically for this month: Ho‘ohana: Our Value for April is ‘Imi ola
- About self-discipline in living with aloha: Twelve Rules for Self-Management and Twelve Rules for Self Leadership
- Most recently written about my personal goals: Live Large with ‘Imi ola
- About my choice with self-employment: From Corporate Life to Self-Employment
The blogs I write for, besides this one;
Rosa, you give so much of yourself in your writing. I just had to stop and let you know how I, for one, am learning so much from you every time I find the time to read any of your writing on these blogs.
"Never for a moment doubt that the work you do profoundly influences the life you lead" - I have always thought of it the other way around (your life influences your work), and this is a distinction I needed to hear this week.
Thank you for modelling for us all a value-driven life! (I'm still curious about the new books, though;-)
Posted by: Karen Wallace | April 25, 2007 at 09:31 PM