When we take the risk, choices mean empowerment. It is when we can actually make the choices of what we want and of what we dream about that empowerment really begins to happen.
As Thomas Magnum said many years ago, “It’s another beautiful day in Paradise.” When visiting Hawaii, I am not acclimated to Hawaiian time yet and am up at 4:30 which, for me, is actually 7:30 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time. This blog was inspired one of those very early mornings!
When I started writing this, I had just arrived and while waiting for my condominium to be ready, I took the time to explore. My family and I have been coming to Hawaii since 1976. My girls have fond memories of swimming, snorkeling, and feeding the fish. I remember their cries of “Again, Again” as their Dad threw them high out of the water. It has been heaven for all of us.
However, for almost 12 years I did not have this paradise to which to come. It was my choice, and it hurt my spirit to not be able to come every year and relax, refresh and recharge. Instead, I made the choice to manage an international conference that always started just after our time here on Maui. I can hear you saying, “Well, didn’t you get to travel all over the world and wasn’t that exciting?” The answer, of course, is “Yes!” Over the 10 years, I got the chance to experience Seattle, WA; Cuenavaca, Mexico; Berlin, Germany; Boston, MA; Lund, Sweden; Barcelona, Spain; Portland, OR; Paris, France; Dublin, Ireland, and ending in San Francisco, CA.
I also got to take some amazing cruises and travel at the end of each conference. Yet, that was a choice that did not mean empowerment for me to lead my most extraordinary life. I have always wanted to help people reach their dreams and goals. The choice to travel met my goal, but my job at the destination did not lead or empower the participants to their best lives.
My time in Hawaii is always one of reflection, relaxation and rejuvenation. This year was also about taking leadership of my tribe. I took the opportunity of being in Maui to reignite the energy of the tribe on Oahu. I have a dream to become the International Business Development Director for GIA Wellness. While Hawaii is not an international site, it is the start of that dream. The community on Oahu had never had anyone from the company come over to train them, to connect with them or serve them. They brought together around 20 people who wanted to hear what I had to say and to experience the empowerment that making a choice would mean. Almost everyone chose to experience the benefits of being a part of the tribe in the ways that fit their dreams best.
For me, I chose to be empowered, to take a day trip from Maui to Oahu, and to experience this explosion of joy and excitement. What better way to show leadership, commitment, and enthusiasm? What choices in your life have led to the empowerment of yourself and others?