Ready, Set, Go! (Special Edition)

by Rafael Badziag

  PRACTICE

  BY MOANA CAROLINE ALULI MEYER

  As I approach her home, I am struck by an overwhelming sense of peace and calm. A beautiful shrine acts as an entryway. She opens the door with welcoming arms and a tremendously warm smile. Her spiky bright blue hair with hints of silver is radically youthful, yet her presence is wise, ageless. She reminds me of Hawaiian royalty, both feminine and masculine, defying labels. Acceptance, generosity, and love pour out of her entire being through her radiant, ever-playful spirit.

  We sit and settle into the day, and then I am able to ask her, “If you could choose some magical gems to share with someone that encompasses what you believe to be true about life, along with what has shaped the way that you give back, what would they be?”

  She pauses, beautifully contemplative. It is obvious she has so much to give that this is a ridiculous question, but then solidly, with concrete confidence she says, “practice.”

  He Hawai'i Au, I am Hawaiian and my name is Moana. I am not a Disney Princess. I am the ocean that holds this amazing world, and I am the middle child of seven, raised on the beautiful shores of Kailua, Oahu.

  I’ve always felt a bit different from my ohana/family, like the psychedelic sheep and there are so many variables involved. So, when you are being hurled through space-time and land somewhere in the middle of the deep blue ocean, you have to wonder! Enter my twin sister . . . in the darkness I could feel the warmth of another body and being squished. Then bam!

  We came into this world one after the other – the fourth and fifth of soon-to-be seven children.

  My mom lost her parents while she was young, and was the baby of six siblings, so her eldest sister raised her and had the nuns do the rest. Our mother was raised to be smart and socially acceptable . . . to be good marriage material. Women were not bred to have a mind of their own in the late ’40s, but my mother did! She went off to college and continued to expand her mind. I share my mother with you to set the stage for the beauty and truth I learned so deeply from her. I have sought to emulate these gifts my entire life while feeling that greatness was outside/inside me.

  My father was orphaned while young as well, and he journeyed to the islands from the Midwest in the early ’50s and met my brilliant well-educated mother. He was a kind, playful-jokester-Pop and father and always told his share of very bad jokes. He loved his children.

  I was a coordinated child, and at a whopping 5'2” I was a Varsity athlete in three sports: volleyball, basketball, and soccer in high school, and I went on to play these same three sports in Division One colleges. I loved sports and even though I was mostly the bench warmer and cheerleader, I loved the camaraderie and friendships I developed. I learned to persevere by staying focused, laughed a lot, and inevitably let go. And that’s just to name a few!

  Athletics had benefits multifold. Sports saved me. First, I learned the importance of practice from the traditional standpoint. I worked very hard to be a part of high-performing teams. The camaraderie and sense of family I felt helped heal what I felt I missed due to any shortcomings my parents may have had due to losing their own parents at such young ages.

  One of my saving graces was movement and dance. We had this large orange-colored carpet in our home, it was probably a 12 x 20, in our living room. Some great old music was put on and our father loved twirling his six girls around showing us some classic moves and helping us feel the rhythm. I loved moving and even though feeling quite shy and unattractive growing up, I couldn’t stop dancing. As I got older I didn't feel I was good enough to do it professionally, nor did I have the confidence to expose myself, but I kept on dancing.

  I loved making stuff too. When I was ten years old, I found a wooden mechanical architectural square. I loved the shape and used it for over ten years just as a ruler. Soon I would come to know how it truly worked.

  With a new set of baby blue Samsonite luggage, a Timex watch and a one-way ticket to California, I headed to Pepperdine for my first two years of college. I left the Malibu coast and landed in San Diego for my final two years. After finishing university, I became a Pearl Diver in the San Diego Sea World. I looked Asian enough that even though Pearl Diving was an ancient cultural way of harvesting pearls by Japanese women, I guess being Chinese-Hawaiian was good enough. I loved pearl diving! But the tank was so cold, I ended up with an ear infection and after my first three weeks they decided to put me in the prop-making department. Everything is divinely designed!

  I was finally using my creative eye and kinesthetic coordination and the square I found ten years earlier to design and build things. It was so much fun, especially as Los Angeles was creatively hopping!! I learned how to use most hand and power tools and experienced many top set-building companies as an independent designer/builder. This was more than 30 years ago when there weren’t many women in the field of building and design. It was empowering to learn these skills and discover I had a natural bent for using tools and shifting spaces. I was a creative being and did not fully understand what an incredible journey I had just embarked on.

  I was in my late 20’s when I had my first heavy episodes of weird, undiagnosable illnesses. I wasn't eating right, resting or drinking enough water. I was young and felt invincible. I had started drinking alcohol at age 14. The ’60s had passed, but the home/college parties were always happening. My environment was a full playground for addiction and I worked hard, played hard and never missed work because of it.

  Enter the next 25 years of suffering from different autoimmune issues which most of the doctors could not figure out. It was a very low, frustrating time in my life and I had adopted a rulebook of nutritional lies and it was a tough hole to dig out of.

  The organized religion I was raised with created its own inner toxic world. Add to the already guilt-permeating world of strict Catholicism, and the fact that I am gay, I found myself immersed in messages that did not support or validate my true essence. I was just a cute, loving kid that often got stomped on for being too friendly or loving too diversely from the familial pack.

  Because the feedback loop on normalization was so, so strong and ingrained—be it nutritional habits or a sense of community at a spiritual level, I have consciously sought out many different paths of healing and expansion since my late 20’s. I have come to some funny, profound, simple messages. I had to learn them the hard way, and on the brink of my sixth decade, I feel ready to rock and roll this remaining life I have!

  Throughout my years I found myself venturing away from Hawaii at least four times. It allowed me to learn more about myself and as I stepped into the practice of pursuing creative and alternative paths of learning and healing, I found clear, gentle ways to love myself and adopted a practice of radical self-care.

  I have always felt like I was dropped into the middle of all of my ohana as comic relief. My siblings were often far more serious than me. They are all my greatest inspirations and are amazing leaders in Hawaii and Oregon. Being born a twin with an incredibly powerful sister, I always found myself practicing and embracing my own strengths. The beauty of living a bond of absolute unconditional love with someone so opposite to myself allowed me to always see situations with a constant mirror. Our differences strengthened each other and brought out our true essence.

  In my mid 30’s, I was recovering from a very tough bout of shingles when I came up with a really powerful concept called SmarTITAS. It was initially kind of a joke, yet the more I thought and felt about it, I began to understand what was coming through me. TITA is an endearing term back home in Hawaii meaning sister. Somewhere on the journey it was given a negative connotation of a rough, local woman; someone you don’t want to mess with.

  Through divine guidance, I defined TITA as a Tough, Intelligent, Tender and Artistic Sista, now Spirit. Since adopting this gift of terminology and symbolism, it has been 20 years of supporting all spirits, by teaching that we are all connected right from the start. Even though we may not feel intelligent or artistic, or if we judge o
urselves for being too tough or too tender, these words have simple power and brilliance for all of us to tune in and resonate with.

  I am finally feeling and understanding that I am better than I think I am.

  I love myself with a peaceful sense of knowing and flow with humor, and some very good swear words. Life is a liberating invigorating experience and after 30 years of struggling with very little support, a ton of guilt and shame, the old mental tape of “not good enough,” I embrace and hold dear the importance of the practice of loving me for me.

  As I navigated life, at an early age, I always felt ahead of my time. I wanted to express the awareness I felt. Folks back then were not awake; however, I felt joyful, jovial and awake from the get-go. I felt like everyone kept thinking I was crazy woo woo, or just too hippie. Interestingly, our culture is evolving today so rapidly; it’s finally catching up with me and how I have always felt on the inside. I see the world exploding with so much MAGIC, . . . RIGHT NOW!

  The desire to dwell with like-minded spirits drew me to Portland. Over the past two years, I feel increasingly happy to finally come to a town where my MOflow, Magical MOJO Poppins, can emerge into a feel-good, full-blown Mission.

  I have many stories along my life path that all lead me to the same conclusion. Life is made up of many moments, all of which are a practice. A practice for compassion, Aloha Kindness and acceptance.

  We are already perfect just as we are. Practice does not make perfect; it’s FOREVER Practicing. The practice is flowing with the many adventures and lessons we choose to create, and seeing that love, acceptance, kindness and compassion for oneself is the beauty and magnificence of each of us as one-of-a-kind. We will always be exactly as we should be.

  Just as we are, in each and every moment, perfect.

  We are all connected in this beautiful truth and no cultural practice sums it up more effectively for me than Aloha. Aloha speaks to the essence of each of us and through shared breath. Aloha is the practice of an awakened mind. It is our Hawaiian way.

  I see the world from the vantage point of three important pieces to Practice.

  • One – practice loving self through lots of humor and tons of self-care.

  • Two – seek to continually practice loving others for who they are and how they are, in the moment.

  • Three – feel at home in your bones and practice Aloha, and acknowledge all sacred connectedness.

  Ulu a’e ke welina a ke aloha!

  Loving is the Practice of an Awakened mind!

  I am grateful for the practice of Aloha which continues to lead the way of loving myself and then loving others. It is always a forever practicing journey. Aloha!

  About Moana

  Moana Carolina Aluli Meyer is the middle child of seven incredible Hawaiian artists, entrepreneurs, academics, and activists in Honolulu, HI and Oregon. She was born an artist and a goofball thrown in the middle of seven siblings as comic relief. She is also the eldest of a twin set with Dr. Manulani J. Meyer.

  Moana was a Varsity Letterman athlete at Punahou High School and Division One College Varsity VB player, Pepperdine University, Malibu and an Al -Star Soccer player for SDSU. She graduated from SDSU in 1982 with a BS in Recreational Management.

  Moana was her pledge class president for Alpha Phi at SDSU. She then returned to Los Angeles, creating and developing sets, designing and building from 1980-1990.

  She has transformed many private homes and businesses over a 30-year career as a space-shifting, color consulting and commissioned artist. Moana’s drive to serve her community even resulted in working as an HPD officer and a counselor for runaway youth for Hale Kipa, Honolulu. She also served as a mentor for incarcerated youth transitioning from prison back into society for the CORE program.

  Moana has great compassion for the betterment of all people and is the CEO – Chief Energy Officer – of her own Spirit Empowerment company called SmarTitas Ink established in 1997, up to the present (2017). SmarTitas encompasses her own line of Jewelry and Whole Hearted Playshops.

  Moana had her own ART Studio and Event Space called Daspace and Studio B from 2005-2011, gathering the Arts community and offering an exciting event space for Honolulu. She is a well-respected speaker and Wellness Coach for LIV International for the past decade, and a certified HaTha Yogi. She continues to this day to offer SmarTita Personal empowerment classes and Health education. Moana is always there to lend a hand, an ear and joyful Heart!

  You can reach Moana Caroline Aluli Meyer at:

  • livhawaii@yahoo.com

  • www.smartita.com

  • mojopoppins@fb

  • 808-351-4960

  CHAPTER 13

  COMMUNICATING YOUR BIG IDEAS: CREATING CONTENT WITH IMPACT

  BY NICK NANTON, ESQ.

  The bond trader was on the ropes.

  He had gotten a job at a trading company in Chicago in 2008, but that position didn’t last long. When the recession hit, he suddenly found himself laid off—with no prospects in sight.

  But that was okay. What he really wanted to do was become a photographer. And he had what he thought was a great idea—take pictures of people all across the five boroughs of the New York City area and catalogue them by location. So, the Georgia native moved to Brooklyn.

  All he had was a month’s worth of savings, so he moved fast and began posting pictures on his website as fast as he could take them.

  . . . And no one cared.

  After a year, he was surviving on cat food and taking freelance jobs to try and make ends meet. But he kept on going with his photo idea, obsessed with making it work—but he had to make one important adjustment to his approach. Instead of just spontaneously taking pictures of people around town whenever he saw an interesting image, he discovered that in New York, it was best to ask permission first—the hardened city dwellers didn’t appreciate his photographic ambushes.

  And that’s when he noticed that the conversations he had to initiate to get that permission were becoming as interesting as the pictures themselves.

  People for some reason would start to share intimate stories about what was going on in their lives: The parts that were hilarious, the parts that were tragic, the parts that were fascinating. He began interviewing them at length, sometimes for over a half-hour, often shocked by how much they were willing to reveal about themselves.

  And that’s when his “Humans of New York” project launched him into MediaMaster superstardom. Over 15 million people now follow Brandon Stanton’s blog. He’s had two Humans of New York books published and his Facebook page currently has over 18 million fans. He’s been able to travel overseas to do other similar projects with people in other countries.

  Best of all, he no longer has to eat cat food.

  How did Stanton become a MediaMaster? Well, a while ago, Brandon Stanton accidentally tapped his phone and updated his status on Facebook. It was only the letter "Q," but within minutes it had 73 likes.

  Stanton, thinking that was hilarious, owned up to his mistake and posted a screenshot of the post. That post gathered more than 25,000 likes and nearly 600 comments.

  In our forthcoming book, Impact , we’re going to reveal the secrets of becoming a MediaMaster, which we define as a thought leader who knows how to leverage both old and new media to build the most powerful platform possible. One of the easiest ways to do that is simply by publishing strong, consistent and unique content. The more you can generate that attracts the kinds of followers you’re after, the closer you come to achieving true MediaMastery. The question for you is, which form of content best suits your persona and message—and which delivery system will create the most impact for your MediaMaster ambitions?

  Let’s find the answer that works for you.

  BLOGGING

  As demonstrated by the Brandon Stanton story at the beginning of this chapter, blogging can be an incredibly effective way to create a powerful ongoing impact. And while some people believe blogging may have peaked, there is no hard evi
dence to back that up. As a matter of fact, the latest statistics as of this writing state the opposite:

  a. 45% of marketers say blogging is their #1 most important content strategy.

  b. 69% of marketers say they plan to increase their use of blogging this year.

  c. Marketers who prioritize blogging are 13 times more likely to achieve a positive ROI on their efforts.

  That last statistic is probably key to your efforts. You may not be directly selling a product or service with your blog (and you probably shouldn’t be, at least until you’ve established your blogging platform), but the fact that marketers are more likely to “make the sale” through the practice means you’ll be able to find a receptive audience if you’re able to create memorable content on a regular basis.

  1. Finding Your Voice

  If you’re lucky, you already have a distinctive “voice” (or personality) that is unique and that people will gravitate to. If you’re not that fortunate, it may take some time to develop. However, it won’t develop unless you dive in and start blogging as often as you can.

  That said, it may be a great idea to start writing blogs, but not actually post your first few blogs until you’re confident in both the content and the style. Instead, look at those initial pieces as practice efforts. By spending a few weeks (or even months) honing your approach to blogging, you’re making an invaluable investment in yourself. Whenever we do anything for the first time, we’re bound to make mistakes. There’s no reason to make those mistakes in public if you don’t have to.

  Instead, keep writing until you feel you have a few posts worth looking at. At that point, share them with some people in your circle, hopefully people who understand your area of expertise and can react to your writing in the same way a potential new reader would, and get some feedback. If you get a consensus among your test group on how to change things up, go ahead and make the revisions based on their advice to see how you feel about the results.