08/15/2026
Maui Reminded Me of Something I Almost Forgot
There are places that are beautiful.
And then there are places that make you feel something.
Maui has done that for me.
As I sit here surrounded by mountains that seem to touch the sky, the vastness of the ocean, and a stillness that is difficult to describe, I find myself thinking less about where I am and more about who I am becoming.
Life moves fast.
So fast that sometimes we don’t realize how much of ourselves we have given to the next responsibility, the next deadline, the next person who needs us, or the next goal we are determined to reach.
I know that life well.
I have spent decades leading, serving, raising a family, building businesses, writing, mentoring, solving problems, and figuring out what comes next.
I am a doer. Give me the mission and I will find a way forward.
But Maui is reminding me of something that achievement can sometimes make us forget.
Not every meaningful moment requires movement.
Some moments require stillness.
Some require gratitude.
Some require us to stop looking ahead long enough to recognize the life we are standing in right now.
This morning, I found myself simply taking it all in.
The mountains.
The ocean.
The breeze.
The beauty.
And I thought about how many times in life we pray for something, work for it, fight through uncertainty to reach it, and then become so busy pursuing the next thing that we barely stop to acknowledge that we are now standing inside something we once prayed for.
That thought stayed with me.
How often do we arrive at a blessing and immediately start looking for the next destination?
Purpose isn’t only about where you’re going.
Purpose is also about being fully present where you are.
It is recognizing the lessons in the difficult seasons.
The people who walked beside you.
The doors that closed.
The unexpected doors that opened.
The prayers that were answered differently than you imagined.
And even the moments that once broke your heart but somehow helped shape the person you are today.
I have learned that clarity doesn’t come before action.
Clarity comes from action.
But I am learning something else too.
Sometimes clarity comes from reflection.
From giving yourself enough quiet to ask the questions that busyness allows you to avoid.
Does the life I am building still reflect what matters most to me?
Am I spending my time on what I say I value?
Am I becoming the person my next chapter requires?
Those are not always comfortable questions.
But purpose was never meant to make us comfortable.
It was meant to make our lives meaningful.
You don’t need Maui to have this moment.
Maybe your Maui is your front porch before everyone wakes up.
Maybe it’s a walk without your phone.
Maybe it’s sitting in your car for five extra minutes.
Maybe it’s prayer.
Maybe it’s opening your journal and finally being honest with yourself.
Wherever your quiet place is, go there.
And for just a moment, stop asking:
“What’s next?”
Instead ask:
“What is this season trying to teach me?”
Then listen.
Because sometimes the answer we’ve been searching for isn’t waiting somewhere ahead of us.
Sometimes it has been inside us all along, waiting for life to become quiet enough for us to hear it.
Today, from this beautiful island of Maui, I am grateful.
Grateful for the journey.
Grateful for the lessons.
Grateful for what has been.
Grateful for what is.
And incredibly hopeful about what is still to come.
But today, I don’t need to rush toward the next thing.
Today, I am simply going to be present.
Because this moment matters too.
Wherever you are today, don’t become so focused on your destination that you miss the beauty of where your feet are planted.
Pause long enough to see it.
Be grateful enough to feel it.
Be courageous enough to learn from it.
Then, when it’s time, keep moving.
Not simply because life demands movement.
But because you know why you’re moving.
That is the difference between being busy and living intentionally.
That is the difference purpose makes.
Live With Purpose.
Jacqueline Smith
Author of The Purpose Code
