Nicole

Magic started with my mom. She was the best optimist! She always taught my sister and I that if something was hard, to shift our perspective, and look at life through a different light. One day she started signing all her emails with the phrase: “look for the magic, not the obstacles”. This phrase helped me navigate living in LA, far away from my home of Hawaii. Life was faster, more demanding, and more chaotic than when I lived in the islands. I worked in a fast paced, and demanding field with clients that always heard “yes”, and the pressures to always make experiences flawless. Somedays I’d call my mom crying, and overwhelmed by the life in the concrete jungle. She’d tell me look for the magic, not the obstacles, and to find the joy. In every instance that she said that, it grounded me, and I realized the magic of my situation, rather than seeing it as a challenge. The switch of worlds was difficult, demanding, tiring emotionally, but I also had the best experiences, met the coolest people, and grew from every challenge. Growing is magic, seeing life from a different perspective is magic, and overcoming obstacles shows that you can find the magic. It shaped me to always be grateful, to shift mindsets, and to keep chasing the magic in everyday life. I want others to understand that everyone has obstacles in life, it’s finding the joy within that obstacle that keeps us going. It’s powerful to believe that life can be what you make it. My mom has now left earth side, and those powerful words still stick with me to this day. Life has so many ups downs, curveballs, issues, but there’s also so much joy! My mom truly lit up any room because you could just tell she chose joy everyday, and she did it because she believed in the magic. Ever since I was little, she’s always left an imprint on my heart that we can find magic if we truly look for it, and believe in it. While everyone wrote their life tattoos, I watched lots of hurt, and lots of hardships be written. I saw this as a sign to share my tattoo, because I wanted everyone to realize they could overcome their personal obstacles. They just need someone to be their optimist, and help them find the magic too! Thanks mom for being that bright light in my life, forever and always. May her lesson help someone else that needs it too!