Burn the Boats: A Letter to Myself as I Quit My Job
Yep. Still not very good at reading maps.
Dear Self,
Krista Tippett, creator of the beautiful and insightful podcast On Being, states that “it is a biological truth that safety is almost always a prerequisite for the best in us to emerge.” With immense appreciation for her and her work… I respectfully disagree. I don’t think it’s safety that’s required for the best in us to emerge; I think that it’s security. I think that it’s trust in ourselves, trust in others, trust that we can find some solid ground in the face of whatever may come. And my girl—it’s time for you to admit that you trust yourself enough to take a leap of faith.
You’re opening the door to the unknown right now, so let’s talk a bit more about safety. You can’t live a safe life. Safety—and the complacency that flows from it—is the quickest killer of dreams I know, and you, my dear, have big dreams. If you limit yourself to what you can see from a safe distance, you won’t see much. And you will go through life missing the richness in front of you and wondering why people and experiences never seem to live up to their promise.
Burn the boats. Remove the safety net, so that you have no choice but to succeed, or fail and learn until you *do* succeed. There’s no going back. And maybe that’s the point.
You can’t wait. Life’s too short. Burn the f***ing boats.
Love,
Yourself