Gratitude has been one of my greatest superpowers... and I don't say that lightly.

I've been through some incredibly difficult chapters in my life. I've experienced loss, grief, heartbreak, uncertainty, and moments where I genuinely didn't know how I was going to get through what was in front of me.

But one thing that has consistently helped me find my way through those moments is gratitude.

I know, I know. We've all heard the clich?, "There's always something to be grateful for." But the older I get, and the more life I experience, the more I realize just how much truth there is to that simple statement.

I've learned that we have so much more influence over our experience of life than we sometimes give ourselves credit for. We may not always get to choose our circumstances, but we do have some say in where we direct our attention, what we give our energy to, and how we choose to move forward.

And that's where gratitude has been so powerful for me.

When I find myself getting caught up in everything that's going wrong, everything I don't have, or everything that isn't going according to plan, I try to bring myself back to what I do have. And more often than not, I realize there's actually quite a lot.

It doesn't make the hard things go away. It doesn't mean I don't get upset, discouraged, or overwhelmed. I certainly do. But it helps me get out of my own head long enough to recognize that whatever I'm going through isn't the entirety of my life.

And sometimes that's all I need to shift my perspective and find the motivation to keep going.

I think we spend so much of our lives waiting for things to be different before we allow ourselves to feel happy, content, or fulfilled. Waiting for the next accomplishment, the next opportunity, more money, more time, fewer problems. Meanwhile, there's an entire life happening right in front of us that's worth appreciating.

This is really what inspired my STAY GRATEFUL campaign. I want to share something that has made such a profound difference in my own life, in hopes that it might encourage someone else to look at their circumstances a little differently.

I'm also excited to share that in 2027, I'll have the opportunity to travel with my hula h?lau to Aotearoa! Funds raised through this campaign will help support my participation in this journey, something I'm incredibly grateful to be a part of.

For me, hula has been another beautiful reminder of how much there is to appreciate. Our connection to ??ina, to culture, to one another, and to the stories and knowledge that have been carried through generations.

My hope is that when you see the words STAY GRATEFUL, you're reminded to take a moment, wherever you are in life, to recognize something good. Even if it's something small. Because sometimes those small things are what get us through the really big things.

With so much gratitude, mahalo for being part of this journey. ?