Hawaiian's have the key to life, love, and success

Yep, Hawaiians really do have the key to success in life!

I have been to Hawaii several times and in various areas. Rarely did I get to experience "real" Hawaii, until going to Pahoa. You will note in other blogs my fondness for the area and things I learned. However I think the most important thing I learned was success in life from Puna. I have a few examples I will share with you.

Employment/Jobs -

This is a bit of a loose term for locals. A job is not what makes you, it is what makes you money to sustain your life. I know here on the mainland if I had to work at a fast food joint or a grocery store... I might as well just die. As horrible as it sounds... it is "below" me. In my world it is plenty find for others to have that job, but for me... it would be like sending me to jail. I would feel like someone just said "Heather, guess what you are being sent to solitary confinement in prison for 20 years". Yes I can be that dramatic. Anyway, you go to a fast food joint, or grocery store, or where ever and find some of the most wonderful and sometimes beautiful people working. I saw this girl working at Burger King or some fast food place. She was drop dead gorgeous. She was runway model beautiful. I thought to myself, sheesh what a waste to have her here working a drive thru window. She could do so much more with her life. Or the average lady or man, who had incredible personalities that worked as a check out clerk. I was thinking, at the very least they could be bartending and making so much more money.

Then, sitting in a bar at shift change the male bartender comes on duty. Yes.. I judged him for his looks, like a fool and idiot. A local comes in and starts chatting it up with him. I realize both of these men, the local guy and bartender are both teachers, both coaches, and both out on holiday. Now I dont see anything wrong with being a bartender. In fact I once was one. I actually think it is a genius job. If you are good your tips will rival what fancy business people make while they sit in their office hating their life. So, I actually think bartenders are pretty darn smart.

Anyway, I listen to these guys chat about life. The bartender is picking up extra money for a new surf board and likes working the evening shift at the local dive bar, because he can surf during the day. The other guy had some other side job he did, and he was building on to his house. The one common factor I found with these two men was: they were happy.

Too often people complain about what they dont have, or what they think they need or how life is this or that but it is never good enough. But these two guys, just like many others I met, were happy. Their jobs were just that.. a job. A means to an end to obtain something. One was a surfboard so he could enjoy what Hawaii has to offer. Another was a larger space in his home so he could have more family over.

Wouldnt it be nice, if our goals were to make money to merely lead a more simple life and enjoy nature and family? But this is the resounding theme here. The job itself is not important, as long as it works around your schedule (may it be surfing, fishing, family gatherings, or other honest to goodness things), and as long as you make enough money to eat, and keep a roof over your head. No worries.

Family -

This is the NUMBER ONE thing to Hawaiians. Your family is everything. It does not matter that your girlfriend dumped you for our cousin, and that makes you mad. Your cousin is family and you better learn how to set your differences aside. Because at the end of the day, at the end of your life, all you have is the love from your family. It is the only value that does not depreciate, and it is the only thing that cant be taken away from you.

Weekends are family time. There is rarely NO getting out of this. Hawaiians converge upon all the beach parks near and far to spend the entire day together, eating, swimming, playing games, but enjoying that they have life and can share it. If Auntie is hosting that weekend but it is going to be a 3 hour drive.. guess what you still have to go. Yes part of it sounds like an obligation, but when you are raised in Hawaii it is not an obligation. It is a way of life. These are the very people who have your back and will be there for you if something goes wrong. These are yoru best friends.

Family is not limited to blood lines. Perhaps the tutu next door has no family near, so you invite her and because of her age she is Tutu to everyone. If she was younger, perhaps she would be Auntie. If a women in your life, outside of your mother helped raised you.. guess what she is your mother as well. Perhaps you dont call her that, but you respect her the same and you will mourn the loss of her just the same. Same with anyone else that comes into your family. You will have no blood related cousins, sistahs, brudahs, aunties, uncles, so on. A blood line does not make up a family, love does.

Love & Life -

Love is just that love. But in Hawaii it is far more complex. You have love for all your ohana, you have love for the land, you have love for your cutlure, you have love for animals, you have love and appreciation for extreme weather changes. You dont see Hawaiians getting in a big puff about the bad weather that hits them, or political issues. Live and let be, no worries. Love the life you live, and live it with kindness, respect and appreciation. You are kind to others, you respect the land, nature and others, and you appreciate everything Hawaii has given to you. I think as an outsider it is easy to see how they can appreciate the place that they live. It is magical, but you know what the Hawaiian's know that and dont take it for granted. I cant tell you how many times I "hate" Oregon because of the weather. I often forget to appreciate all the goodness of Oregon. Well Hawaiian's wont be complaining about the land and nature.

Life is pretty simple, and I mostly mean it. We work to sustain to have a roof over our heads, clothes on our backs and food in our bellies. But the roof over our head does not need to be the best roof, the clothes dont have to be anything specials and the food is just that, food.

The beauty of Hawaii is the volcanic soil that makes growing your own food a breeze. Being you dont have seasons, you can grow stuff all year round! Hawaiians eat far healthier than mainlanders. Granted they are blessed with the ability to have farmers markets all year round, and to grow tons of fruit in their own backyards. I know this because our house have Avocado trees, bananas, limes, papayas, coconuts, coffee bean, and I know I am forgetting something else. Needless to say they are fruitful and provide use with plenty of food. If for some reason we didnt have enough money for groceries one week, we could easily live off the fruit on our land. Furthermore, you can often walk along the side of the road and find coconuts. Feeling hungry in Hawaii I doubt is a common trend, as there are so many natural resources.

Life is meant to be lived and enjoyed, Hawaiians get that. May it be with family, or the surf, hiking, or beach and nature walks. Life is to be loved and to love back.

Consider this - If you removed all the "stuff" out of your life and got back to basics, how much easier would that make your life? If you treated yoru job and merely a means to an end. Left work at work, left it all behind and came home to just enjoy. Wouldnt life be easier? If you left your crap job you hate to take a job that paid less money but made you happy.. wouldnt life be easier? It could be. when you sold off and got rid of all the junk in your life.

You figure, your average american has a car, cable tv, cell phone, laptop/desktop, tablet, internet service, a home, various unneeded small appliances, various unneded tools, and tons of crap. Think about how much money you spend on crap. I know I spend a lot of money on crap.

But if you empty out that clutter, sell it off and stop buying - because buying brings you temporary happiness. You could possibly afford to take a lesser paying job that makes you happy. Cut the gym membership and get outside, cut the cable and watch programs online. Sell your nice cars for a paid off reliable ride that can get you from point a to point b.

If you cut out car payments, other monthly bills that are "wants" not "needs"... think of how much money you would save. I can say this much. If I cut out all of my "wants" - such as a different cars, cable, internet and other memberships. We would probably save $1500 a month. It might be a stretch but my husband could likely take a job that pays half of what he makes now. Could we be happy, without our stuff? Sure.. but it takes a paradigm shift.

We have to focus on what is really important in life, friends and family. Enjoy the outdoors more and eating out and attractions less. Albiet our lives would be more fullfilled by this! But we live on the mainland and media wants nothing to do with this, and makes sure it bores into your mind that you cant be happy without all your stuff.

Well guess what Hawaiians are too busy enjoying the outdoors and their natural playground to worry about sitting around at watching tv all day and falling for those ads. Even if they did, they would realize it is 10 times hard to get those items to Hawaii than it is here on the mainland.

So perhaps by default they get it, because there are some limitations there. But I suspect their lives would still be lived better than ours. Because their culture is based on family and love. They have their priorities right. Where as us mainlanders like to think we do... but we dont.

Success -

Everything above, is true success. You dont measure success with things or money. You measure it with the wealth you have in love and happiness. This is true success in life.

#jobslovelifesuccesskeyfamilyhawaiianspunatics