I recently spent a glorious 2 weeks in Hawaii and experienced the beauty of Oahu and the Hawaiian Islands. For the 2 weeks that I was there I was in constant admiration of the view, the water, the trees and a permanent smile lit up my face…. I’m sure the few Mai Tai’s also helped. Even on the last day I was still happy snapping the view and sunsets and saying to my husband and friends “can you believe how gorgeous it is.” Not even Hurricane Lane that threatened to hit our island during our first week could dampen the holiday. We prepared ourselves as best we could, stayed calm and made the most of every day having a hurricane party in our room during lockdown while the kids created their own ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ show.
Now I’m not going to lie…. there have been a few of our overseas trips that have had interesting events either leading up or during the trip. I also forgot to mention that my husband broke his collarbone only 36 hours before we flew out to Hawaii but hey nothing stops us from living our travel obsession dream. This trip, however, really impacted me on another level. I’ve taken so much away from this holiday. Not just the usual tourist snaps, suntan and a liver that needs detoxing. It’s the constant growth and reinvention of Hawaii in all its beauty. Learning the history of these volcanic formed islands and how they continue to grow from the lava channels slowly building new islands from under the water and growing the islands that exist today is quite impressive. It is like these gorgeous islands, that are holiday perfection, are still constantly reinventing themselves and changing every day to become bigger and more fascinating. There is nothing that can hold them back. They certainly have had their challenges thrown at them…. World War, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions and they continue to have these challenges yet nothing stops the tourists coming, the dream destination for many and the local love of the island.
It makes me wonder what we as people are doing to constantly grow and reinvent ourselves. Growing physically is a given, growing mentally should also be a given but you have to choose to do it. Here are my 4 simple tips:
1. Never stop developing
You are never finished developing and growing! There is always more to learn and others to learn from that are doing it differently. I have found that it’s not just learning how to do what others do but also what not to do. If you have learnt everything in your field and are at mastery level then think about how to share your expertise with others. Set a small list of strong development goals for the year and more importantly achieve them!
2. Become stronger from adversity
Challenging situations are a given. They will happen there is no doubt. How challenging they are comes down to your copying skills. Either way, there is always a lesson to learn and every experience makes you stronger. Take a step back from a situation to see it more clearly. If you don’t manage to do that during the situation always reflect and learn from it afterwards. Some of the strongest people I know have had some of the toughest lives that I could only imagine.
3. Share your beauty
Don’t be afraid to let your beauty shine! Of course I’m not just talking about physical beauty I’m talking your real beauty. Ever put a genuine smile on your face while walking through the city passing that on to strangers? Yes some will think you’re crazy while others will catch it and smile too. I find it really hard not to smile when I see someone smiling. Even harder not to laugh when hearing an awesome belly laugh!
4. Reset and Go!
Reinvention for yourself is checking in with your direction, beliefs, values and limiting decisions. Are you on track? Is this where you want to be? What could you do today to change tomorrow? You are the only one that has control of this and your future. A reset of your major negative emotions is always a great place to start. Any good NLP or Timeline Therapy Practitioner can help you to reset and find your path to reinvention.
Reinventing and growing won’t make you Hawaii however you may notice people being more drawn to you and you will certainly enjoy your own company more. Let’s hope you are enjoying it all with a mai tai in hand on Waikiki Beach.
Originally published at findingyoury.com.au