Aloha: An Entire Philosophy in a Single Word

I watch movies and series as my downtime when I am not reading. I watch from a different perspective though. I get totally sucked into what’s happening on screen but at the same time, I listen intently to the scripting and I watch the set-up of shots and angles quite closely. Yes, my work in production has me somewhat obsessed with it. 

The beauty is, the art of cinematography can teach us so much. As I watched a family movie with my children, I discovered the beauty and wisdom of the word “Aloha” and I realised that within this very word is an entire philosophy for creating joy in our lives. 

I learned that “aloha” is more than a greeting. It’s meaning is beautifully evocative. Aloha refers to the following: “to consciously manifest life, joyously in the present.” It is, “an essence of being. Love, peace, compassion, and a mutual understanding of respect. It means living in harmony with the people and the land around you with mercy, sympathy, grace and kindness.”

My mind is completely blown by this revelation. I want to take one step back in this article and instead of looking at how “aloha” manifests in our own lives in relation to the world around us, I want to look at how we integrate the spirit of “aloha” within ourselves. I believe cultivating the ability to simply be present puts you in a situation to help cultivate joy from within. 

Establish Your Ritual

Let’s start there. Establish your ritual. I have discovered that when my ritual is disturbed, my day gets thrown out completely. I need to have time alone before the day begins, exercise and journal. If I do not, I have a hard time staying centred for the rest of the day. Even during the day, I need to do some checks with myself about where I am at so that I respond to the world and circumstances and not react to them. 

Acquire the Habit of Happiness

According to Dr Maxwell Maltz, “Happiness is native to the human mind and its physical machine” He furthers that “Happiness lies in the present, not in the future.” In other words, we choose to be happy at this moment, as it is not because something else that is coming will make us happy. For instance, my 5-year-old was doing what she does best, being a tiny stuntman. 

Before I reacted as I normally would have, I stopped, assessed that she was safe with me close by, I allowed her to tumble and pull herself up and around like a little gymnast and the glee in her voice and on her face had us collapsing in laughter as we held onto one another. This moment was sheer joy for both her and me and neither of us had to strive to create it. We were simply in the moment. Staying present is simply being aware of a situation intentionally and bringing all your focus and energy to that moment.

While you may be thinking that happiness and joy are different, I believe they are inextricably linked. Joy comes from within and happiness is an expression thereof. Dr Maltz further reminds us that we are responsible for our own happiness and that this entails choosing our thoughts and choosing our self-image. 

Expand your Capacity: Build Resilience to Stress

I’ve just completed an 8-week course on Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Techniques (MBSR). We live in a time that is stressful as technology expands and the world rushes by at the speed of light. We need to slow-down. As contradictory as it seems, when I am overwhelmed and need to get more work done, I switch off my phone and get quiet. I take a walk in my garden, pray or meditate in order to calm my mind. Expanding my capacity to respond to stressful situations and not react to them helps us cultivate and maintain joy. 

I expand my capacity by taking a mindful walk in nature or simply focussing on my breath for a few minutes. Similarly, I try to work out where in my body I am feeling the stress and physically try to move to release it out of my body. 

There you have it sister: To cultivate a spirit of joy within you, remember the philosophy contained in the word “aloha…” consciously manifest life, joyously in the moment. Stay present by simply being and not forcing anything; establish your rituals and work on acquiring the habit of happiness as you build your resilience to stress. 

By Kim Jansen