Burning the Boats
Going all in on Ikigai
Image credit Gapingvoid
Setting fire to the boats means no going back.
If you are a history buff like me, you may be familiar with the story of explorer Hernán Cortés. In the year 1519, Cortés arrived in the New World with six hundred men and, upon arrival, ordered the men to burn the boats.
As the boats burned and sank into the harbor, it became clear to his men.
There was no turning back.
Three Years
Three years ago, today, I set fire to the boats that had carried me in my life and career.
It was a conscious decision to live into my Ikigai in a new way.
After initiating and ultimately leading Continuous Improvement Transformations at 3 Fortune 500 companies, I knew it was time to do something else.
But what?
Several years prior, I began exploring options by prototyping coaching engagements, consulting, writing, and keynote speaking at global conferences.
As I closed in on how best to live my Ikigai, significant changes came to my company, specifically my department, and the changes offered an unexpected opportunity.
I could take on a different role in the same space or take early retirement and go all in for my Ikigai work.
The Decision
Because I had a solid understanding of my Ikigai, I knew this new role was not for me.
It would mean five more years doing soul-crushing work.
📌 It was risky to step out on my own though that was exactly what I needed to do.
My boat burning was to make a public commitment on social media that I was not returning to a corporate role. Instead, I was focusing on sharing Ikigai.
I publically stated my plan and my Ikigai Verse, which is…
Encourage, Enable and Empower people to be all they were created to be.
💥 A few months later, when the pandemic hit and all my consulting, coaching, and speaking opportunities disappeared, I wondered if a safe soul-sucking job wouldn’t have been a better idea.💥
No Turning Back
Thankfully I had already burned the boats. There was no going back, which forced me to press on and opened even more opportunities to live into my Ikigai personally and in my career.
Sharing my Ikigai verse led to…
✅ An outpouring of support, reinforcement, offers of help and more energizing me
✅ Feedback on my Ikigai and my plan
✅ Tangible opportunities to use my Ikigai to help people right away
It was like the universe opened, sending energy, support, and encouragement that day.
🌀 It may or may not be a time in your life to burn the boats. What enabled me to make that decision was understanding my Ikigai and being able to share it with others.
Telling others about my Ikigai verse opened doors and support that has sustained living my Ikigai as a writer, grandfather, and all the other things.
In the coming weeks, I’ll share more about the power of an Ikigai verse and how you can create your own.
Given your Ikigai and my personal purpose statement are nearly identical, no wonder I identify and relate to so much! Thanks!
We have such similar stories!