Ngahi Bidois: My word of 2018

More international travel is one of Ngahi's 2018 goals. Photo / Getty Images

Nga mihi o te tau hou 2018 ki a koutou katoa. Happy New Year everyone. May your 2018 be happy, healthy and prosperous and the best one yet!

Every year I have a phrase or word that I have for that particular year and I try to outwork that phrase or word during that particular year.

For example my phrase for 2016 was "clean the gutters" which led to me simplifying my life in many areas.

I got rid of or gave away lots of excess stuff in my life, focused on my business and we even moved from a lifestyle block back to our home in town.

My phrase for 2017 was "water the garden" and a lot of new things occurred in my life.

For example I was reinstated to a couple of leadership positions and I focused on what the "garden" was, how it could produce more efficiently and effectively and how I would go about watering or looking after it.

My word for 2018 is "freedom" and to be honest as at January 3 I do not know the full meaning of this for me in 2018.

However, I think it is a good word to focus on and could lead to all kinds of interesting and exciting things.

One question I will be asking myself a lot in 2018 will be whether or not my activities are contributing to freedom of some kind for me and my whanau in our lives.

There are many areas of one's life that can be quite liberating and freedom finding and I know they could easily occur in the lifestyle, business, spiritual or physical aspects of my life.

Off the top of my mind I can think of a few areas where I would like more freedom.

For example I am a type 2 diabetic and it would be nice to be free of this wretched disease.

It would also be nice to be travelling internationally more with my wife Carolyn which I have always found liberating in many ways.

Spiritually it would be nice to free up more time for karakia and Te Atua.

When it comes to freedom I know that I am now more at peace with the fact that my children are no longer at home.

They are free from the nest although we have always said that they would have a room in our home to call their own.

My son Eruera is now into his fourth year at med school in Auckland and my daughter has just finished the first year of her nursing degree in Auckland.

They were home for Christmas and New Year and it would be one of the few times I haven't cried when they left, mind you I am seeing them this weekend!

The recent loss of my friend Darcy Hunter who passed at the age of 42 has also inspired me to be more courageous and make the most of my year of "freedom", as has the loss of our beautiful kuia Aunty Ella and kaumatua such as Anaru and Pihopa.

They were all people who had a sense of freedom about them in what they did, whether it was with their whanau, friends or iwi. Nga mihi ki a ratou katoa ki tua i te arai.

So what will 2018 bring for you? How will you be more free in 2018 and make a positive difference for your whanau and friends? What is your word or phrase for 2018?

Perhaps you are more liberated by not having one.

Ko to ara tika to ara pai your path is what you make it, or not. Kia pai to tau hou me to ara hou.

May your New Year and new path be a happy, healthy and prosperous one for you and your friends and whanau, even if it's just cleaning gutters and watering gardens.

Ngahihi o te ra is from Te Arawa and is an international leadership speaker, author and consultant. His website can be viewed at www.ngahibidois.com