Start

January is for starting.

You can start at any time, really, (and in these parts, we do) but in January the world conspires, we recharge with heritage and our values, and energy flows more than it ebbs.

So go for it.

“Start now. Start where you are. Start with fear. Start with pain. Start with doubt. Start with hands shaking. Start with voice trembling but start. Start and don’t stop. Start where you are, with what you have. Just … start.”
—Ijeoma Umebinyuo (source)

Start with the value of Ha‘aha‘a as initiative with an invited abundance.

One of the ways I will start simply, but very effectively, is to hand-write my chosen value immersions (currently hope/Ka lā hiki ola, Ha‘aha‘a and Ho‘ohanohano) on slips of paper everywhere I am sure to see them, and continually be reminded of them. Colorful post-it notes work really well for this, as do notes on my smartphone, and being an analog/tactile/handcrafting kind of girl, I write reminders on origami papers.

It’s all spirit-spilling: Indulge in your own habits and hobbies to connect them to your values, and celebrate who you already are, as well as who you intend to continue being.

Yes, we are excited about our prospects with everything shiny and new.
No, we do not discard the old which has proven to be so good to us, and good for us.
~ January~February 2015: The Value Immersion of Ha‘aha‘a (humility) and Ho‘ohanohano (dignity)

Need a bit more? Try one of these:

1. Start with two words: “with Aloha” ~ good read if you are just getting started with a focus on values, and value alignment.
2. Great Managers Start Great: An ALOHA Rite of Passage ~ good read if you are a new supervisor or manager, or are newly promoted or transferred (congratulations!)
3. Back to the Beginning ~ good read just before your holiday vacation ends, and you prepare to get back to work.
4. “Begin with the end in mind” ~ read this one when you feel ready to adopt the Daily 5 Minutes.
5. Begin, or Regroup with Ka lā hiki ola ~ read this one if you are new to our tribe, have already read New Here? and want a more recent pathway to what we’ve been up to here on the blog.