Ho’ohana is the value of purposeful and meaningful work. When we work towards something with intention, it provides a feeling of satisfaction and purpose that nothing else can.
Think about the work you currently do, whether you’re a mother/homemaker, working a full time career, or starting a side hustle… is your work purposeful? Is it meaningful to you?
Work can be hard. Some people work because they have to, some because they want to, and others consider work to not be work at all. Ho’ohano is the idea that when we become friends with work, work can be an enjoyable, growing, and enlightening experience.
“Ho’o” – means to do.
“Hana” – means to work with purpose or intent.
Therefore, ho’o + hana = to do meaningful, purposeful, or intentional work
Ho’ohana is like playing a sport
If you’ve ever played a sport, you know that it requires effort, especially physically and mentally. If you can put your energy and focus into what you’re doing, you become stronger and your abilities increase.
In high school, I did Cross Country and, although I wasn’t the fastest runner on the team, I worked hard. I pushed myself to beat personal PRs and boosted my teammates too. At the start of the season, there would usually be a lot of people on the team, and by the end, about a quarter would’ve dropped out.
The drop-out quarter of runners would complain about practices being too hard, or gossip about the coaches, spreading lies and negativity. Some of us ignored them, and some listened. The ones who listened usually ended up dropping out too.
Those of us who didn’t listen continued to try our best, and to be obedient to our coaches, instead of complaining. When our coach said to get down and do 10 burpees, we did it. When our coach said to sit down and relax, so we could mentally visualize race day, we did it.
It’s not about the destination, only finding meaning in the journey
Races and practices, though still hard on the body and mind, actually became enjoyable. Anybody who does a sport knows this. When you become a friend to the exercise and work, you actually have fun and find purpose + meaning.
That is ho’ohana. It doesn’t mean that work becomes any easier, it just means that you become a friend to work, knowing that as you put in your 100%, YOU become stronger. You become friends with those who work alongside you, and friends with those directing you (boss, employer, coach, etc).
Whether it’s a coworkers, spouse, family member, friend, or teammate who complains about the work, slipping down the hole of negativity, criticism, and gossip, YOU actively choose to disengage and press forward. With your own desire to learn and grow—even if the work is hard–you choose ho’ohana and pave the way for success.
Instead of waiting for something to happen in your life and work, you create paradise right where you are through living ho’ohana.
How to live Ho’ohana
There are many ways to implement this Hawaiian value into your life, but the most important thing is to start where you are. Trying to do everything at once leads to overwhelm, and ho’ohana is about doing meaningful work, not trying to do everything.
Create Purpose
Whether you’re a stay at home mom, employee, or employer, create purpose in your work. Creating purpose is different from finding purpose. When you create purpose, you intentionally choose the WHY behind what you’re doing—whether that be wanting to raise the kids in a loving environment, make extra money from a side hustle, or work towards a dream vacation. When you find purpose, you go through a checklist in your head of your reasons to work.
Ho’ohana loves creativity, so as you create a WHY behind your work, you find more peace + enjoyment in it. It might seem a little more obvious to find the WHY behind raising children or running a business, but what about jobs that are less enjoyable—those of minimum wage, demanding environments, and/or less-than-pleasant customers… I’m talking call centers, fast food joints, etc. How can you live ho’ohana when you’re starting from the bottom and/or stuck at a job you don’t like?
Choose your why
Create purpose. Choose WHY you’re there. People say things like, “I have to work,” but the reality is that nobody is forcing them to work. Ho’ohana is taking responsibility for the choice to work.
I’ve worked odd jobs to make ends meet here and there. One of the jobs was at a call center, where people would call in swearing and angry at the product. It was so hard not to take things personally. But I had a purpose in this work. It was just a temporary job to make some money while I started a side hustle (this blog!). That was my reason.
I did my best and implemented the value of ho’ohana by becoming friends with my coworkers and bosses. They noticed my efforts and I was even promoted to the Tier 2 calls, which meant a pay raise!
When the time came that I left the job, my coworkers were so sad, as we’d all become good friends. To this day we’re all still good friends. I’m so grateful that my time there—at a less than pleasant job—had been a growing and even enjoyable experience!
Put in 100%
Ho’ohana puts in a full 100% effort. It doesn’t mean you need to be perfect at the things you’re doing, but when you TRY, you receive a deep satisfaction in life.
For a short time in college, I worked at a bakery as a pastry chef. My supervisor was very much a witch: breathing down our necks, impatiently giving orders and demands, telling us to do one thing then chastising us the next minute for not doing something else, etc. She was so inconsistent and grumpy, it was easy for anyone to feel negatively towards her and the work.
But I chose to ho’ohana… to work hard and be a good team player. In no time, my efforts affected my coworkers and even the other supervisors in the bakery—who would often approach and ask me how I was doing.
They would always say hello to me, which really made my time at the bakery better. The work conditions regarding my supervisor never improved, I never got a raise, and my efforts weren’t once recognized by my supervisor.
But God noticed.
I had given 100% to that job, and God had graced me with more patience, endurance, and stamina to handle the snappiness and weaknesses of others. And another blessing occurred from giving 100%. While I had been working at the bakery, I networked with the right people and got an envied and prized job on the college campus.
Giving 100% really works!
Take Initiative
When you see an opportunity to grow and learn in your work, take initiative. Ho’ohana is all about building others up, and building yourself up at the same time. Have you ever had a disagreeable coworker or work environment? How easy is it to complain and gossip about it? Or to just quit in search of a place that would “make you happier”?
While some situations are toxic—and you should definitely run away from those asap—most jobs are great “except that one thing or person.” What if we implemented the value of ho’ohana to grow + expand ourselves and our abilities to give and receive aloha?
Every person has weaknesses, so how can we use our strengths to help with the weaknesses of others? Ho’ohana is being resistant against the downers of work, and, instead, seeking solutions.
When we think of a work environment like a sports team, wouldn’t you do something to compensate for a player who has a weak knee or arm? Wouldn’t you want to help them so the whole team grows stronger? In fact, wouldn’t everyone want to use their strengths to help others with their weaknesses?
Ho’ohana is creating that environment where everyone can work hard and help one another.
Be Creative
If you know that the work you currently do isn’t what you want to do forever, then truly let the value of ho’ohana sink in by being creative. While creating this blog, I worked about 4 different jobs to support myself and my husband (and he worked too). From taking family photos and wedding videography, to substitute teaching and working as a music teacher at a local school… I worked hard to pursue my dreams.
Ho’ohana is all about stretching ourselves to reach our dreams. My main goal was to be able to work for myself as a creative, but this would not be easy. And it would certainly take time. All of my side jobs weren’t always easy, but I stayed positive and kept it in my mind that these little tasks would generate income to start up my creative business.
I felt silly as I did all of these jobs, especially when people asked me what I was doing, but I learned that their opinions didn’t matter. Ho’ohana allowed me to see the bigger picture—that I was working for a cause.
Sometimes you have to do things non-traditionally to do work that is purposeful and meaningful for you. I’ve met so many people who created their success without going to college and getting a degree. I’ve met people who hustled in college (like myself) and got a degree but hustled even more afterwards, in order to create purposeful work.
There’s really no wrong answer when it comes to creating the work you love. Ho’ohana is about doing what you need to, with a good attitude + focus on the goals, to do the work that means something to you. Click To TweetStay Positive
A huge part of ho’ohana is to stay positive. Our world views work as drudgery, and like we’re slaves to work our whole lives. This simply isn’t true. Work can be enjoyable when we create purpose and view work as a necessary growing part of life.
There will always be work to do—work to raise children, work to make money, work in the yard, work to strengthen a relationship, work to correct a mistake, work towards a dream, etc.
But ho’ohana helps us enjoy and even love the work we do… because work is not meaningless. We create purpose and meaning in it.
Even though work hasn’t always been easy through my life, I’m grateful for those times I implemented ho’ohana, because it made things much easier.
With joy and aloha,
Lei
Let’s hear it from you!
So what are some ways you want to implement ho’ohana in your life? Comment below!
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