Inspire Awe (Waterfalls & Volcanoes - Hawaii, USA)
Megan Billnoske
Leadership Trainer ● Keynote Speaker ● Coach ● Everything DiSC? & 5 Behaviors? Authorized Partner ● Artist
Throughout my entire life, Hawaii was the epitome of vacation, beaches and "living the life". Now, I know there are many other beaches, but for as long as I can remember, my grandparents always talked about going. So, I think I grew up idealizing it. Rightfully so though - it is Hawaii, duh!
My husband and his closest friend both turned forty, so the guys said, "Let's do it up big!" Once they picked a trip to Hawaii, let's just say no one argued! After months of planning, and booking, and more planning and more booking, we were off!
Our week-long trip began on the Big Island of Hawaii. As we flew in, that blue water shouted, "Hellooooo vacay!"
Each of us in the group had one thing we really wanted to do. I wanted to rent a helicopter and fly over the Kauai island. Others wanted to see a luau, learn to surf, snorkel, visit the iconic North Shore food trucks and even "poke lava with a stick" (haha, that one still makes me giggle). Fun fact though - the lava just happened to stop flowing the year we went...after 40+ years of constant flow.
Seriously true. Ha!
Anyway, we drove to just about everything we visited on the islands, so this left a lot of opportunities to see the waterfalls, hikes and beaches. I'd equate it to the number of historical land markers, Buc-ee's or state parks that sprinkle the highways in Texas.
Did you know that 10 of the world's 14 climate zones are in Hawaii?
For this reason, you can drive 5 minutes from the beach, and be in desert. Another 5 minutes and you're in the rainforest. Five more minutes and you've completely gone into arid, volcanic soil. It was the only place I've ever seen with such rapid changing scenery out of the car window, and I loved that! As a Texas girl, I'm used to seeing the same round bush stamped across Texas... for hours (if you know, you know!)
We took several hikes on this trip, and all of them had their own unique features - bamboo forest, winding labyrinth of trees, hypnotizing plant life, porous and crunchy volcanic rock, black or green sand beaches and of course, beautiful waterfalls
One site in particular was slightly off of the roadway, and had a nice, paved parking lot with only a few cars. So, we pulled our super cool minivan into a spot, and all piled out.
Now, each hike was unique and sometimes it was a letdown. By our fourth hike, we mostly were just getting out of the car for the exercise and with low expectations of the sites.
This one. This one was different.
Akaka State Park - lush vines wove nets in the air between trees. The concrete trail seemed to go on for miles, and the air was humid. Everywhere you turned, the vegetation was exotic, like a scene from Jurassic Park.
Our group of six kept a good pace as we climbed the ramps. Step after step. Tons of leaves and greenery.
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As we came around the corner, the greenery parted and there was the most beautiful waterfall. (I've seen Niagra Falls, which is massive and amazing in an entirely different way.)
It was dainty, slender and tall - my favorite that we saw the entire trip. The water seemed to float as it fell, as if to avoid gravity. It was peaceful and awe-inspiring, in the middle of the rainforest we had walked through. 1,000% worth it.
As leaders we often have hard jobs to do - developing our team, working with difficult employees, juggling life and work, meeting the bottom line, managing up, managing down, performance reviews on top of your normal job while hiring a new employee and covering the hole in your team. It's a lot!
Take a minute and realize the positive impact you have on others - an awe-inspiring moment like the waterfall. What you do has ripple effects on everyone around you, in some profound ways.
Like the waterfall, remember that your actions inspire others, by just being yourself.
You have purpose.
Odds are that you may not even notice it because it seems normal to you, and you just do what you do, right?
Hard work, good intentions and care for others will always lead you to organically awe-inspire others.
Lead where you are.
Written and lived by Megan Billnoske, owner and founder of IMSPIRE, LLC. She specializes in working with leaders who are ready to have fun strengthening their leadership skills, unleashing team performance and delivering legendary ROI.
In her 12-year corporate career, she's trained 14,000+ leaders, had 27 bosses, launched 14+ brand new training programs, led countless international teams, worked in 12+ industries throughout the globe and loves what she does.
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