3 Ho'omau Siblings: Will, WillPower, and Willingness

Each time I study ho'omau anew, Will is a word that permeates my thought waves. I often think that it must be a gift to be named Will; it's quite a name to live up to.

willpower is something we admire so; indeed, it IS the stuff of ho'omau — to have willpower is to have persistence, tenacity, resilience and strong intent. It is to be determined in your purpose, and to be relentless in seeing things through. It is a kind of inner knowledge that all the effort in the world can be wasted and go uncelebrated if you don't reach the finish line, and reach it well.

Somewhat short of that is willingness.

It also comes from our will, however we think of willingness more as the attitude of Okay, I'll give it a try, and it's just not as rewarding. It's pulling out versus pushing from within. Agreeing to try something doesn't necessarily mean you are starting from a place of belief and conviction like you do with willpower, and so by nature you'll be more tentative, and more cautious. Try is a word that weakens you. Agreeing to simply try something for someone else's belief and convictions stops short of complete buy-in; you leave yourself more open to the reasons that may crop up to not believe, and to resist possibility.

Everything was impossible until the first person did it.

Everything is impossible for you, until you have the will to do it.

It often helps to say you will do something out loud and be public about it, putting your good word out there for everyone to hold you to. For instance, we do so at Say Leadership Coaching, calling these statements our Ho'ohiki, our promises to keep.

The Ho‘omau Siblings at Work

In the workplace, a bounty of ideas always exist, for ideas are palena 'ole — they are without limits, and of unfulfilled capacity. Like possibility, they are only unthought of until somebody thinks of them.

Ideas exist where ever there are people who are wide awake. So it follows, that within those people you'll find the ideas that germinate within your workplace. Unfortunately, many of them can wither and die without seeing the light of day.

In the very least, there must be willingness for those ideas to reach fruition.

At the very best though, what you want is willpower for those ideas to reach runaway, like a freight train of possibility that cannot be stopped.

The people of aloha who have bought in to a company's vision, and that company's meaningful reason for existence, are those with their own connected belief and conviction. They are those wide-awake people with some of the best ideas you can hope to find. They are the ones with the willpower to make them happen —without you and everyone else needing to be on board their train. If you are, great, but it actually isn't necessary, because they have their own willpower.

Hmmm, something to think about: What are you doing to fertilize those germinating ideas? How do you manage, and how do you lead, so that you are the champion of the Will and Willpower siblings?

To do so, to open the possibilities of these two siblings, is to manage with aloha, and with the value alignment of Ho'omau. Do you have some ideas about this? Share them with us. More importantly, share them with those two siblings in your workplace, and you will Ho'omau.

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More on Ho‘omau

We will soon prepare for a new value study in June. Here is a summary for May:

Our Ho‘ohana for May: Ho‘omau and Be Strong

To Ho‘omau is to reach inside yourself and grab hold of the stuff you’re truly made of. When you Ho‘omau, you are both confident and tenacious; you never give up. The driver in you gets it in gear and steps on the gas, propelling you forward. You have resolve. ... Continued here.

Ho‘omau, Kaona, and Confidence

Let’s tackle that fourth bullet point on my list of Ho‘omau words: Confidence. Not from the standpoint of you having it, but of you giving it to others. ... Kaona is a Hawaiian word referring to the hidden meaning of a word or phrase, and Ho‘omau is one of my favorite examples of it. ... Continued here.

Five Steps Where Determination Equals Finishing

Finishing well is always a challenge for me; indeed, this is very much where determination comes in. To be determined, you must make a decision that connects to your intention, and then you must commit to it with an action plan that will see you through to the very end. ... Continued here.

An Unbeatable Combination: Ho'omau, Your Habits, and Your Ho'ohana

For this potent formula to work for you in the best possible way (that is, with 'Imi ola, for best lifestyle), you must proactvely CREATE the habits which will make it happen for you. Use a calendar to schedule a recurring pattern of better behavior you have thoughtfully designed to achieve your Ho'ohana. ... Continued here.

Note: This one also contains a Weekend Learning Project.

Ho‘omau Kakou

Articles contributed to Ho‘omau by the Ho‘ohana Community:

Change your Lens, by Reg Adkins at Elemental Truths

I'm a firm believer that looking at an issue from another perspective is a high value added practice. Since I have been reading the work of Rosa Say, I've enjoyed some real perspective insights. For example, this month Rosa is focusing on the concept "Ho'omau." ... Continued here.

Freeing Your Strengths as a Teacher: Focus, by Dean Boyer at Teaching with Aloha

Let's connect your specific strengths with Ho‘omau teaching! Question: How do your strengths help you in your teaching? You are using your rainbow of strengths somehow whether you realize it or not. In fact, how we are strong naturally comes out and because of this naturalness, we can quickly forget that it is a strength. ...Continued here.

Perseverance, Depression, And Productivity, by Carolyn Manning at Productivity Goal

When the future tunnels into itself and takes on a bleak hue, holding down the sofa and zoning in on daytime TV isn’t the answer.  With practice and perseverance, it’s possible to shake it off a little at a time and to come back to the world of the living. ... Continued here.

A different take on confident writing by Joanna Young at Confident Writing

Try shifting your attention away from your own writing confidence (which may be less than you would like) towards instilling confidence in your reader.  All of the core writing skills will play a part here: an authentic voice; using plain, simple language; being clear about your own purpose and values.  But you could also reflect on your assumptions and beliefs about your readers - by holding on to a positive belief that they will choose the best path to move forward, your writing will imply confidence in them. ... Continued here.

Mahalo nui loa to Reg, Dean, Carolyn and Joanna, and to all who have commented this month; yours are the voices of Aloha.

Comments

[Carolyn Manning]

Rosa, it's my belief that I'm never in such good company as when surrounded by good writers who know how to inspire the best in everyone. You and everyone else mentioned here have that ability; inclusions like this one always make me raise the bar for myself. Thanks.

[Joanna Young]

Rosa

Thank you so much for including me within your community. To be considered one of the voices of Aloha is a great honour.

Joanna