Has it really been a year since TEDxMaui 2012? Well, yeah … almost.  TEDxMaui 2013 is going to be held on January 13, 2013 – that’s a few days away from today! If you want to attend and have not bought your ticket yet, I highly recommend you purchase now because they do sell out.

At Maui Bloggers Network Community, Peter Liu asked “how attending TEDxMaui 2012 changed our lives and our community”  In a few words I’d say:

“TEDxMaui 2012 caused me to get more in touch with my passions,

inspired me to press on, to act on them, and to never give up.”

Here is what Byron, one of the TEDxMaui 2012 speakers said that inspired me:

“If you are passionate about what you believe in,

there are places that will welcome you.”

What am I passionate about? Many things. On top of the list are  1) family/parenting    2) encouragement  3) communities – (in the end, all these are to glorify God through me).

It is very interesting that the speakers who I liked and the topics that resonated with me are the ones in line with my passions above. These  are all available to view at  TEDxMaui channel at YouTube:

1. Dr, Gary Greenberg – Big Beauty In Tiny Things. Learned that our point of view really rules what we see. He opened our eyes to the extra ordinary nature of ordinary things. Very impressive!

2. Byron Washom – Beyond the Reef. I was fascinated listening to Byron and his life story on how he grew up on Midway and that’s where is creativity was developed. I was encouraged by him big time in the area of parenting. Learned how to empower my kids (now teens) to explore, to not be afraid to go beyond the reef.

3. Dr. Elizabeth Lindsey.  I must admit that when I first watch Dr. Lindsey’s presentation at TED Women, I did not relate to what she was discussing.  And yet at TEDxMaui 2012, I was so impressed with her and listened intently to all her talk story filled with wisdom. I am a big believer of rspecting our Kupunas and the way she discussed the Ancient Wisdom for the Modern World resonated with me.

4. Lani Medina Weigert and Pomai Weigert – Lessons of Sustainable Aloha.  These two ladies inspired me – their aloha, their tenacity and the way they serve the community.  Their sharing was insightful and came from the heart.  It is not just about doing things and accomplishing something – it’s about putting our hearts in whatever we do and moving forward in spite of difficult times, always being there to support each other.

6. Lisa Kristine – Photos that bear witness to Modern Slavery.  Lisa’s passion is phenomenal. You have to watch the video and see the photos to understand the depth of Lisa’s work. Outstanding example of using her (our) talent for the good of the community/world by bringing awareness to an issue that needs to be dealt with.

7. Jeremiah Grossman  – When I first registered at TEDxMaui 2012, Jeremiah’s talk is the one I was really looking forward to. For a person like me who is always working  with computers and internet, I know his talk will be beneficial. I was right. I learned a lot from him.  The video of his talk on “Hacking Yourself First” is definitely worth watching again.

As an added treat, it was at TEDxMaui 2012 that O met Llana Grossman in person. Llana is the founder and administrator of MyOwnMaui.com community on Facebook, a community of over 35,000 Maui Lovers from all over the world! Llana and I connected and I was so glad we did!  There is more to this story but I will save to for another post.

Speaking of being connected, TEDxMaui is not only about listening to the speakers talk.  It’s also about connecting with other participants, engaging with like minded individuals.  It’s a gathering of the passionate people and when passionate people gathers, something wonderful happens. 

Going back to the question “how attending TEDxMaui 2012 changed our lives and our community” … this year I …

1. Created the Maui Blogger Network. It is a vibrant group of passionate and creative people who understand the importance of blogging.  If you are a blogger from Maui or blogs about Maui from other places – contact me and I’d be happy to add you in the group.

2. Founded FoodtTrucksOnMaui.com and started a venture on developing a mobile app that will help the hardworking  Food Truck entrepeneurs. The Food Trucks on Maui Facebok Page currently has 566 fans and we have even started fully promoting it.  You can Like it here if you like 🙂

And the two listed above are just a few.  In reality the application  is really dispersed in our daily living – on our values, attitude and the way we make decisions each day.

To give you a glimpse of TEDxMaui 2012, here’s a short video I wanted to share. May this inspire you to attend TEDxMaui 2013.