3/2/2023 0 Comments Burn the shipsRetreat is easy when you let yourself have the option. The story about Hernán Cort és, in its simplest form, is really just about commitment. But there is a life lesson in this story that I do want to talk about. HIs ‘ burn the ships ’ strategy worked! Although, guys! His men didn’t even really burn the ships, they sunk them! □□ And that fun fact, my friends, wraps up our history lesson. Two years later, in 1521, Hernán Cort é s conquered the Aztec empire. It was to send a message to his men, a loud and clear message… …there is no turning back…his men would have to conquer, or die. □⛵️ His logic behind this wasn’t to go down in the history books as the conquistador loco that ordered his men to destroy his ships. I look forward to the journey.In the year 1519, Hernán Cort és, a Spanish conquistador, arrived in the New World with six hundred men and, upon arrival, ordered his men to, ‘ burn the ships’. Her equipment is in solid working order and she has a wily captain to steer her through waters calm or stormy. My ship has already had a number of years at sea, but she’s in good shape for her age. So in the end, there is one ship that I have not burned. Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did so. Long-time readers of this blog know that Mark Twain is a great source of inspiration for me. And I don’t want to go through life like that. But if I don’t try now, I will always wonder what might have been. If it doesn’t work out, I can always find something to do. Of course I’m nervous.īut I am also excited and motivated by the adventure that lies ahead. I am embarking on an odyssey that will doubtless be fraught with challenges and whose destination is uncertain. I’m giving up a pension plan, medical insurance and other benefits. I’m giving up a good job in a great organization. There is much work to do and my sleeves are already rolled up. So a new journey beckons and I will find myself traveling it in less than two months. I may be burning ships, but I am not burning bridges! I would be remiss if I did not thank my colleagues who have been so understanding and supportive of my decision. My supervisor and I have agreed that my last day of work as a staff member of the WHO will be 28 February 2015. Half-measures are rarely a recipe for success.Īnd so I have decided to burn the ships. Rather, I realized that I would never be able to achieve my full potential either on my own or within the United Nations system by splitting my time between the two. However, as the year wore on, it became apparent that my situation was not sustainable. There were times when I felt a bit stretched, but the workload was manageable and I had a successful year in both domains. The experience of working 50% at a job and 50% for myself for a year has been interesting and illuminating. After thinking about it, I accepted for two reasons: I enjoy working with my colleagues and it was a safety net in case the public speaking work didn’t materialize as planned. What I wasn’t prepared for was my employer asking me whether I would consider working part-time. In October 2013, I tendered my resignation at the World Health Organization in order to pursue public speaking full time at the beginning of 2014. I spoke about my own evolution, from a corporate litigator in a large law firm in Canada to the United Nations in Switzerland to taking the step to branch out on my own into the world of professional speaking. The theme of the conference was “Perpetual (R)Evolution”. Last year, I had the opportunity to speak at TEDx Lausanne. I have been pondering these historical events over the previous months as they have come to take on increased significance in my own life. And so Alexander’s men were fully committed to the campaign ahead. To borrow from Ed Harris’s line in Apollo 13, failure was not an option. They knew that they had to fight in order to survive. Similar tales are told of the Vikings and other warriors throughout the ages.īy burning his ships, Alexander hoped to galvanize and motivate his troops. Centuries later, in 1519, the Spanish conquistador, Hernan Cortéz, employed the same strategy and had his men burn the ships when he landed on the shores of (what is today) Mexico to embark on his campaign against the Aztecs.
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