This is the value of personal well being. Literally translated, Nānā i ke kumu means “look to your source.” Seek authenticity, and be true to who you are. Get grounded within your sense of self. Keep your Aloha at the surface of what you do daily, and celebrate those things that define your personal truths. To value Nānā i ke kumu is to practice Mahalo for your sense of self: Do you really know how extraordinary and naturally wise you are? Find out. Become more self-aware. It’s the best discovery you’ll ever make, and it opens a tap to increasing personal wealth (beyond mere finances, wealth is a value too!)
In the Hawaiian culture, Sense of Place (MWA Key Concept 8) factors very deeply into this value, sense of place being defined as both the feel of a place, and the feel for a place.
From Managing with Aloha (Chapter 17 preamble):
Nānā i ke kumu
Look to your source, find your truth
There is an inner wellspring inside all of us, and we will go to this inner well to get healthy. We find reason. We find heart. We find soul. Nānā i ke kumu: Look to your source. Find your truth.
Nānā i ke kumu is a phrase of encouragement, telling us to look inward to this source of well-being as our constant and our truth.
Nānā i ke kumu. Look to the source you have revealed, and let it inspire you. Let it energize you. You will not hesitate, and you will not falter.
You will Ho‘omau with renewed strength. You will be warmed by the Aloha of your own spirit. You will continue.
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 NĀNĀ I KE KUMU, 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.