Kūlia i ka nu‘u is the value of accomplishment and achievement. The literal translation for Kūlia i ka nu‘u is “strive to reach the summit.” Those who have this value continually pursue improvement and personal excellence. For them, the most satisfying competition is with their previous selves: They consider their life and everything within it to be a work in progress, and they enjoy the effort. ‘Hard work’ is good work when it employs the energies of striving and reaching higher.
From Managing with Aloha (Chapter 5 preamble):
Kūlia i ka nu‘u
Achievement and accomplishment
Pursue personal excellence
Be your best
“Strive to reach the summit”
Kūlia i ka nu‘u. Define what achievement is for you, and strive to the highest summit of accomplishment there is.
Pursue personal excellence. Be the best you can possibly be. Seek achievement which allows you to Ho‘ohana, work with purpose and intent, within ‘Imi ola, a life lived for its highest form.
You will find you Ho‘omau; you persist in a way that will cause the good to last, for in striving for the best, you have become your best. As you grow, your Aloha has captured more abundance to be shared with others.
Continue your learning!
For a brief, single-page listing of all 19 Hawaiian Values of ALOHA within the Managing with Aloha philosophy, see The 19 Values of Aloha.
For more about values and why we choose them, see Let’s Define Values.
This is the Site Index of articles which include KŪLIA I KA NU‘U, with comment boxes for questions, stories, and our continued learning from each other: When people speak, they give voice to values, and their personal expression of them. In Hawai‘i, we call this expression their mana‘o
Buy the book!
Managing with Aloha is a book designed to be written in, and used as both learning resource and personal workbook. Managing with Aloha is our philosophy bible, and this site can be thought of as the sequel to the book, where you are now the featured star.