No thanks on the DO – I’m good with the BE

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Here’s a partial list of all the AMAZING things I did NOT DO during my THREE WEEKS on Kauai:

• Surf in Hanalei Bay (heck, I was staying a block away and I didn’t even swim there!)
• Play volleyball on the beach, despite two courts available every day
• See Waimea Canyon, the other “Grand Canyon”
• Walk on Barking Sands (a beach where it actually sounds like dogs barking when you walk)
• Hike to Hanakapi’ia Falls (I did go the first 3 miles in, though)
• Tour the Buddhist Temple
• Visit Mt. Waialeale – known for its use in the Jurassic Park film
• Take a Helicopter Ride around the island
• Go Snorkeling

I know – you’re probably thinking “are you kidding me? what exactly did you spend your time doing?!”

And that’s just the thing – DOING was not my focus. There’s nothing wrong with an itinerary (I’ve taken many trips with pages of notes in hand), but this time, I was quite content (delirious in fact) to just BE in this absolute Paradise.

When I look back at my three weeks on Kauai, it was such an unbelievable experience – an amazingly loving, conscious, creative, supportive, passionate, and easy-going group of people surrounded by an abundance of unparalleled beauty. I don’t know what I did in a past life to get there, but man, am I grateful. It was also an exciting time personally & creatively: I wrote the first draft of my eGuide, launched my Awesomeness Embodiment program, discovered Conscious Language, ate like a king, and had some deeply profound conversations.

I didn’t have any sort of plans; I just wanted to see how the days would unfold on their own. And I think by having that mindset, it allowed all this wonderful stuff mentioned above to manifest and transpire. Nothing was forced or timed or squeezed or decided. It all just was. :-)

I realized (and this has become clearer since) that I’m really focused on just BEING in a place – it’s not as important to me about what I’m DOING there. In Hanalei, it was enough to walk to the beach, and just take it all in. And I did that on a number of occasions. Since arriving back on the Big Island, I’ve only gone on a couple excursions, but nothing on a daily basis like I had done back in November.

Now, there’s also some truth to the fact that once I’ve been somewhere, I don’t feel compelled to get back there – I already know the layout. There are certainly exceptions – places that I have just enjoyed being in (like Kauai), and choose to return to someday. And of course, I know I will go places in the future where I’m just dying to see or do something, and that’s cool, too.

I think that wherever you go, it’s really about checking in with yourself and finding what’s important to focus on at that moment.

There’s no need for a “things you must do” list if that’s just not what you’re feeling. Perhaps at the top of your list instead is some quality time with your #1 fan – YOU!

All that said, this is something pretty cool I did recently on the Big Island: visited Volcano National Park and had an AWESOME day of hiking – craters, lava tubes, and then an enormous area of the stuff below in the vid. From one spot, we were able to see Mauna Kea & Mauna Loa, the ocean & a few other famous spots here – pretty epic, indeed.

The winds were strong, but I think you can make out most of what I’m saying – when you can’t, feel free to laugh with reckless abandon at the silliness of my hat…