I learned a lot about myself in the last two weeks traveling to Hawaii and back.
Mainly, I learned that I need to work harder, and I need to be more self-reliant. But I also need to be easier on myself and others when things aren’t going perfectly.
This learning lesson was summed up perfectly during our first day in Kauai, Hawaii….
We were picking up our rental car early in the morning after traveling 11 hours the previous day. I was exhausted.  I felt uptight and irritable. My husband, Bill, wasn’t standing in the rental line as patiently or quietly and it was driving me nuts.
I stared at him. I got so wound up and short with Bill. I was ready to have a domestic disturbance right there in the middle of the renal car lobby and tell him exactly what I thought. I felt like nobody was paying attention to me or the rules of the line, especially my husband!!!
We finally got to the counter to pick up our keys to the rental car. A native Hawaiian woman greeted us at the front desk when we finally got to the front of the line. She looked at me, and I could tell she sensed my short-temper and stress right away. She calmly said:
“You’re in Kauai, Hawaii Honey. Loosen up, everything is going to be just fine.”
You should have seen the smile my husband gave me when the woman said that. He said, “See, it’s not just me telling you to mellow out about all the little things in life.”
I was shocked when it happened. But looking back on it, I have to admit it was a pivotal moment in my life.
I never expected that my external stress would be so insanely high that a total stranger would notice my stressed-out behavior and call me out on it! But she was right, and I’m glad she did it. It made me realize that I have a bad habit of stressing out over small, inconsequential stuff. I then take that stress out on the people I care about the most, mainly my husband when we are traveling together.
I immediately looked at the woman, and replied, “Thank you. I needed to hear that.”
Because I did. For too much of my life, I’ve been way too uptight about so many minor and meaningless things.
I need to learn to only be uptight about the big, important things in life, and let everything else just roll off my back like Hawaiian raindrops falling on a palm tree leaf.
This vacation was different for me. It was different because I have been making huge, positive changes to my life the last few months, and I was worried about losing my routine. I have been working out on a regular basis, and learning how to discipline myself so that I can accomplish more, and regret less.
I was worried while on this vacation that all of the idle time relaxing would cause me to backslide into old bad habits like excuse-making, and daydreaming in a fantasy world.
But now that I am home, I realize I didn’t have anything to be afraid of. I am a totally different person than I used to be. I like growing, changing, and learning too much.
I now realize that I have the choice to keep moving forward, or to give up, at any time.
But I am sick of quitting. Quitting has gotten old and it never gets me to where I want to be. But moving forward has become exciting and it takes me to places I never imagined being.
So that’s what I am going to keep doing: I’m just going to keep working hard and moving forward.
Creating happiness and success is really simple: Just wake up every day and keep moving forward. If you can do that, you will naturally grow into the person you were meant to be, and live the life you were meant to live.
Ultimately, I came home from vacation realizing this about myself: Every day I live will either be a step forward, or a step backward, for me. I always get to choose which direction I want to go. I will either be going one step closer toward my dreams, or I will be going one step backward.
Nobody can live my life for me. I have to take control of it. I have to destroy my negative behaviors to allow the positive behaviors to grow in my life.
Today, I am healthy. I am strong. I am able to pick myself up faster when I fall short, and I know I am alive for a reason.
I’ll never forget that Hawaiian woman who confronted my uptight attitude while in Hawaii. She made me aware that it’s Ok to lighten up sometimes. It’s Ok to let loose and let life take you where you least expect. Just always move forward.
Just like the Hawaiian woman told me: “We’re in Kauai, Hawaii Honey…”
I need to remind myself every day that: “We’re on earth – a giant floating rock in the middle of the solar system – and it’s Ok to loosen up and enjoy this magical ride. Just improve yourself as you go, and use every day to chase after your biggest dreams.”
Mahalo!
Let us know in the comments what you have learned while traveling:
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