Life is good!

....scratch that...LIFE IS GREAT!

Stand Tall in the Arena!

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

Never Give In!

"Things will happen in your life that you can't stop, but that's no reason to shut out the world. There's a purpose for the good and for the bad."

"Giving up is never an option!"

OUTRIGGER RACE DANA NINE MAN from Andrew Waldron on Vimeo.

“It takes courage to push yourself to places that you have never been before... to test your limits... to break through barriers!"

No Limit!

"If you always put a limit on everything you do, physical or anything else. It will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them!"

Passion

"There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living."

"When one door closes, another one opens"

... when you pursue your dreams, every second is an encounter with God. Following your dreams opens your heart allowing God to enter and fill you with bliss.

“I would much rather have regrets about not doing what people said, than regretting not doing what my heart led me to and wondering what life had been like if I'd just been myself.”

"Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly."

I've failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed."

...A lil' bit of Town and Country

Town and Country Bodyboards rider profile as posted via T&C Facebook. STOKED!

Take 5 minutes and sit quietly and reflect on all the blessings in your life.

I am so blessed!

..."Everybody gets knocked down, how quick are you going to get up?"

The road to greatness is not marked by perfection, but the ability to constantly overcome adversity and failure.

"It's not how you start, it's how you finish. It's not where you're from, it's where you're at. Everybody gets knocked down, how quick are you going to get up?"

My family...My blessing!

To me, family means putting your arms around each other and being there.

I love you not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you.

Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.

When you look at your life, the greatest happinesses are family happinesses.

"Don't give up, don't ever give up!"

"How do you go from where you are to where you want to be? I think you have to have an enthusiasm for life. You have to have a dream, a goal, and you have to be willing to work for it."

"There are 86,400 seconds in a day. It's up to you to decide what to do with them!"

Diagrams...the key to happiness

Diagrams have a great way of clarifying and simplifying objectices.

What do you want to be?

"Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be."

....I'm still in the game!

Still doing it after all of these years!

PASSION!

..."Homestead" Speaks!

"Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree."

O'HANA....My Inspiration!

The reason why I fight...

The reason why I persevere...

The reason why I sacrifice...

The reason why I will never give up!

What motivates you?

'ONIPA'A

"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go!"

Never give up! Keep persevering! Keep Fighting!

'ONIPA'A

Resilience, Purpose, Faith. What are you made of?

Resilience + Purpose + Faith = Fighter

Resilience: You attack adversity head on with purpose and determination. Regardless of the odds, you drive to succeed and do not stop until you have achieved your goals. Even at your lowest, you will find a way to bounce back and counterpunch. You have the willpower and determination to struggle, resist, and overcome even in the face of formidable opposition. YOU ARE COURAGEOUS AND BRAVE!

+

Purpose: You push yourself to be the very best you can. You are motivated by a calling greater than yourself. YOU ARE HERE ON EARTH FOR A REASON THAT IS WORTH REAL SACRIFICE!

+

Faith: You have faith you are being guided towards greatness. THAT ALL IS WELL AND ALL WILL BE WELL! You have faith that all is going according to plan. You trust that there is a bigger picture. You trust that life is unfolding as it should.

=

FIGHTER: You battle to the very end. YOU KEEP GOING WHEN OTHERS HAVE GIVEN UP!

My question to you then is, “What are you made of?”

Resilience + Purpose + Faith = Fighter = ME

"Don't let the bastard win!"

“Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year. But eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever.”

Whatever your daily life struggle may be, never give up, never give into the pain, never give it the satisfaction of victory. As MASH doctor Hawkeye Pierce once said, “Don’t let the bastard win!” I agree, “Don’t let the bastard win!”

- For those of you seeking gainful employment but yet have not found… Do not give up. Yes the pain hurts, but it will subside and something great will take its place. - For those of you battling illness but yet still to experience relief… Do not give up. Yes the pain hurts, but it will subside and something great will take its place. - For those of you seeking direction but still have to experience clarity… Do not give up. Yes the pain hurts, but it will subside and something great will take its place. - For those you struggling with addiction but yet still to experience sobriety… Do not give up. Yes the pain hurts, but it will subside and something great will take its place. - For those of you confronted with financial woes but yet still have to experience stability… Do not give up. Yes the pain hurts, but it will subside and something great will take its place.

See the pattern here? Whatever struggles life may present to us, whether it be financial or academic, health or family, it is up to us to confront it head on. Never backing down for fear of the pain; never giving into the weakness; for if you were to lay down here, the pain then would be eternal. But rather than finding ways to avoid the pain, instead welcome it; deal with it, knowing that something great will eventually take its place. Understand that even though you may be at your weakest you are still strong for you have not quit; you have not given in. Have an unwavering faith and belief in yourself. Know that you are being guided towards greatness. Pain is temporary…so do not quit in the face of it!

"Don’t let the bastard win!”

"From the Bottom of the Bottom to the Top of the Pops!"

“God did not put us on this earth to be ordinary.”

Strive to always better yourself. Erase from your mind any thoughts of inadequacy. Never settle for “good enough” or “just getting by” but rather, challenge every aspect of your being every waking moment of the day to be better than you were previous. You have the ability to achieve such greatness in all facets of life; whether it be family, relationships, career, finances, athletics…and the list can go on and on. Never settle for “that’s all I can do” for that is not all you can do. One can conquer mountains, one can sail oceans, one can run marathons, one can earn a dream career position, one can earn a military officer’s commission, and one can go from, “The bottom of the bottom to the Top of the Pops” [word to Jigga for that one]. All that is required is an inherent BELIEF and FAITH in oneself and the desire to constantly push forward in order to be better than you were yesterday. Never sell yourself short, "Brush your shoulders off " of those thoughts [word again to Young Hoven]. Never doubt yourself. “If you believe, you will achieve” …I always like that one.

“I CAME FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE BOTTOM TO THE TOP OF THE POPS!”

"It was once said by a man who couldn't quit..."

per⋅se⋅ver⋅ance  [pur-suh-veer-uhns] Show IPA

–noun

1.	steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., esp. in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.

“It was once said by a man who couldn’t quit.” Granted, if you know the song the rest of the verse is pretty negative, but we shall only take this one part, take it out of context, and turn it into something positive {mahalo NWA}.

“It was once said by a man who couldn’t quit…” Perseverance is a great thing. According to the definition listed above it is “persistence in spite of difficulties or discouragement.” How many of us are going through something right now in our lives, which requires perseverance? Raise your hand if this pertains to you? It should be noted that the author himself is raising one hand and typing solely with the other. But what the definition does not acknowledge is the emotional strength and intestinal fortitude combined with the physical resolve required to “persevere” day in and day out. It is here where true perseverance is born and the word evolves from a noun to a verb. True perseverance embodies every aspect of your being to keep moving forward; to push through the pain and suffering and emerge better and stronger on the other side. To never give up despite how challenging the course may be; to become if you will, a verb an action. How many times have we stopped or quit an activity because it got “too difficult.” How did we feel after that? Now, recall how many times have we pushed through that pain and worked through the physical and emotional difficulty to finish our task and reach our desired goals. Which one felt better? I would argue the latter, because we challenged not only the task and won, but we challenged ourselves to continue on despite of all the hardships and obstacles and won. We became a verb. We became an action.

“It was once said by a man who couldn’t quit…” The late great Coach Jim Valvano said it best when he said, “Don’t give up, don’t ever give up!” So never give up!

“It was once said by a man who couldn’t quit..." “Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of 
doing the hard work you already did.”

“It was once said by a man who couldn’t quit..."

The Journey of 2010 begins...

The journey to greatness, I believe, is greater than the destination.

Along the way we learn aspects about ourselves [some we like others we dislike], which helps us to grow as people. It is during this “journey” in which we discover our true nature, our true gifts, our true potential, and perhaps our true calling in life. The destination then does not become final but rather a stepping-stone to even greater possibilities on a continuous journey to greatness.

Why do I bring this up along with a schedule of races posted at the beginning of this thought? Simple. The journey of Hui Lokahi O Ke Kai [a fledging outrigger canoe club for which I am a member of] begins this Saturday, 13 Feb, on the cold beaches of Southern California [it’s February and yes the beaches are cold… in fact it’s raining as I write this post]. The journey to greatness begins with a single stroke, a single mile, and each race listed serves as a stepping-stone to greater possibilities as a club and as individuals. As in life, the journey undoubtedly will bring highs and lows; exuberance and frustration; triumph and tragedy, but in the end we keep persisting, we keep learning, we keep believing, we keep praying, we keep “doing what is right”, we keep the FAITH, and we keep pressing forward to the next stepping stone on this journey.

"Keep on Keeping on!"

The journey of 2010 begins …HOE IKAIKA!