Ho‘omaha Makahiki Kākou

At Christmastime we say, “Mele Kalikimaka” in Hawai‘i— Merry Christmas!
For the new year to come we say, “Hau‘oli Makahiki hou”— Happy New Year!

It’s that wonderful time; time to REST.

You’re probably thinking, “Are you kidding me? This time of the year is CRAZY.”

Precisely. That’s why it’s best we rest.

It can be crazy, given the way that life has a way of catching up with us at year end, pooling at our feet in traditional practices and obligations. Everyone will say, “Family comes first, and my boss will understand, for after all, he/she has family too!” yet our actions belie those words, and we work late nights or on weekends to meet the deadlines we’ve yet to meet. Or worse, we work to jump ahead, for a “head start on 2017, so I can hit the ground running.” The sacred holidays this time of year aren’t true celebrations. They are hurdles to conquer.

And what does your boss really think? What does he or she really want you to do?

I’d venture this guess: Knowing there’s no stopping the new year, they’d want you to be healthy when it arrives. Healthy, fresh, ready.

“In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy.”
— William Blake

I’m the boss of me.

When I left corporate work and started Say Leadership Coaching, one of my first thoughts simultaneously filled me with joy, and shattered me in a nervous anticipation. I said to myself, “It’s finally gonna happen. I’m the boss of me now.” which I clearly understood as meaning, “It’s all on me.” as well. Scary, yet incredibly exciting.

One of my first decisions was about the maha in my business plan— when would my resting times be? Which, by extension also meant, when would our resting times be? How could I bring all my partnerships in alignment with what I knew to be better practices, especially when the calendar conspired against us? Case in point, Christmas and New Years, however there are other times as well.

Nānā i ke kumu was, and still is, the value-driver. To “look to the source” is often to stop, take pause, regroup, vacation or sabbatical so you can refresh, recharge, and rejuvenate yourself. Nānā i ke kumu is the value of personal well being, and like all other values, we must deliberately and consciously choose to practice it. We must be “the boss of me.”

This self-coaching is completely aligned with ‘IMI OLA, our value focus for the month of December, 2016 as well: ‘Imi ola, We are Meant to Be Seekers, for the basic coaching of ‘Imi ola is to “create your best possible life.”

Ho‘omaha Makahiki Kākou

Therefore, the last 2 weeks of December and 1st week of January is always Ho‘omaha for the Say Leadership Coaching ‘Ohana in Business. We stop our work, and go on vacation. We close our business doors those 3 weeks, and focus on our families, and on our rest, inspired by Nānā i ke kumu and our ethos, which says, “Be true to your values.”

For 2016-2017, our Ho‘omaha dates fall from December 18th through January 7th.

When people say, “Mele Kalikimaka!” or “Hau‘oli Makahiki Hou!” to us, we respond with “Ho‘omaha Makahiki Kākou” for two reasons. We say it for ourselves, creating the talk we wish to walk this time of year. We extend it as an invitation, for as Alaka‘i Managers and those who practice Managing with Aloha know, Kākou is the value of inclusiveness, and means, “We are in this together.” Ho‘omaha; rest with us, let’s make Nānā i ke kumu happen for us.

Makahiki notes this season, at the turn of the year. The world does indeed conspire now, however let’s focus on the goodness and the celebration of it, not the crunch and tiresome should-ing obligations of it. All those burdens can wait for our return to the hana of work, however the holidays do not wait and can pass us by if we don’t stop to capture them.

I’m the boss of me. Be the boss of you.

There aren’t any rules to Ho‘omaha, just the mālama guidance that it becomes an indulgence of Nānā i ke kumu for you.

For me, for instance, there are a select, precious few speaking or teaching engagements I will continue to do over the dates of Ho‘omaha, because I love doing them so much, and they do fulfill my Aloha Intentions. They rejuvenate me with the sources of what Living with Aloha in my work is all about. However I do take pause with my office hours; any tedium and routine of how I’m normally ‘at work’ the rest of the year ceases, delayed until the 2nd week of January. I write like crazy still, however I stop the work of publishing except for when I wish to talk story with you on the blog (I get impulsive here!)

To be practical about work, is to be reasonable about your own expectations, not just those of your boss. With Ho‘omaha, you may not stop your work completely, however you can “Ho‘ohana and not just hana.” Like me, you can make time for those facets of your work which bring you joy, and recharge you with positive energies.

So please stop. Take pause with me. Make your deliberate choices regarding what the coming weeks will be for you as 2016 morphs into 2017. Mai poina, don’t forget: Better managers are better people first and foremost. Better people are healthier people; they indulge in Ho‘omaha and Nānā i ke kumu on a regular basis.

Say it with me, so you can then walk the talk as well: Ho‘omaha Makahiki Kākou.

Doesn’t that feel great, now knowing what that means? Let’s do it.

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Our value immersion study for the months of November and December:
‘IMI OLA: We are meant to be Seekers.