From Moai to Mooaii
February 2024 – the season of of New Year well-wishing has passed, and the gyms are once again thinning out. Despite kicking off with ambitious resolutions, the scale refuses to acknowledge the effort of enduring the entire Veganuary while staying "dry."
The motivation for self-improvement, after a soaring high, has crash-landed back to reality. Circling around one's own ego isn't proving to be the solution – It's as unhealthy as poor nutrition or a lack of exercise, creating a vicious cycle. So, why not shift our focus? Less on ourselves, and more on others. All for the sake of our own well-being.
What might sound crazy is a norm in other societies. If you take a closer look at the "Blue Zones" – those areas of the world where life expectancy is exceptionally high – you'll find this principle in action.
Take the residents of the Japanese island of Okinawa, for example. An average woman there lives eight years longer than her counterpart in North America.
And not just a longer life, but a healthier and happier one. It's not only their diet but also the traditional Moais that contribute to this. People come together, supporting each other in every aspect of life. Originally organized by parents in groups of five during childhood, modern Moais form around shared interests. Being part of multiple Moais is no issue; what matters is the bond strengthened through shared time and activities.
But how do we leverage this knowledge in our business life? What aspects of the Moais can we embrace here and now to link businesses to our overall purpose?
In response to these questions, we started MOOAII – a network of people who know and respect each other, each passionate experts in their own fields. A start of a movement to align businesses activities with our sense of living. Members share a belief in making a positive impact socially and environmentally, aiming for sustainability. MOOAII is open to everybody and as it grows will become a movement for a new generation of businesses that focus on profit as well as on purpose.
We'll be demonstrating what that looks like – here on the MOOAII Blog in the coming months.
Together, step by step. Just the Okinawan way.