Camino de Santiago
In the 12th and 13th centuries, nearly 250,000 people (pilgrims) would walk the Camino de Santiago or the Way of St. James. My father-in-law, Skip and his wife Carol, decided to make this pilgrimage past the age of 65. Over ten years later, he challenged his grandkids to walk in his footsteps.
My oldest daughter Ashley (24) and her cousin Maggie (17) accepted the challenge. They just returned to Oregon from their 523-mile walk, 33 days on foot with only 2 days rest. Their journey started in St. Jean Pied de Port, France and ended in Santiago, Spain. In the summer heat, carrying their backpack, sleeping in hostels, blistered feet, they endured and reached their destination. What an amazing accomplishment, and I am so proud of them. Skip, my wife, Sarah, and Uncle Sam, met them at the end of the trail to celebrate their success in Santiago.
One of the most common results after the celebration of reaching a new destination or accomplishing a big goal, is the big letdown. We spent so much time and energy to accomplish the goal, we don’t know what to do next. It is common to feel lost and not have a sense of purpose.
Often, it is the hard work on the journey to reach our destination, which brings us satisfaction. The day in and day out sense of accomplishment. When these days run out, we often go back to a relaxed state of mind and lack of motivation.
In our CAPTAIN strategy method, the N stands for Next. It is very important to set your next destination to establish a sense of purpose again. When astronauts return to Earth, they often feel a sense of depression. Think about it, you spend your whole life dedicated to be one of the few people to reach space, and then you return to Earth. Now what?
One of the most effective solutions for the astronauts is to set bigger goals, go to a new destination. Create a new sense of purpose.
The Daddy-Daughter Challenge
In the last 10 days of Ashley’s journey, I asked her, “What’s Next?” This was intentional. I know she is a crazy high achiever, and she would need a new sense of purpose. She surprised me with a challenge?
“Dad, will you walk the Camino with me?”
Prior to this challenge, this is about one of the last things that I would want to do. Walk 500 miles? Isn’t that why we invented cars and airplanes? Sleep in a hostel, with other people, without A/C? Huh? I don’t even like to sleep in a Motel 6. Where’s the Hilton Honor Awards with my two free waters and Rice Crispy treats?
But, when your daughter, asks you, it’s very different.
“Yes. I will go with you.”
40 Strategy Commitment
In a future blog, I will share why I founded 40 Strategy, but a key reason has been to be more present with my wife and family and their respective pursuits. Yet, being away for 40 days, including travel…I have never done that. Frankly, I have rarely taken a full 2 weeks off. My growing business is not currently set up for that.
Therefore, the daughter Camino challenge is going to create my purpose to change how I am running the business. I will need to automate more processes, delegate more tasks, create more value, with less effort. I am not ready to take 40 days off next year, therefore I have agreed to the Portuguese Coastal Way to Santiago, starting in Oporto, Portugal. 160 miles, 13 stages on foot in 2024.
This will be a challenge in many ways, personal, physical, and business. But, we will get it done!
After, successfully, completing this in 2024, we will walk the full Camino in 2025 or 2026. This will require me to set up the business that, so I can take 40 days off. I am very excited to take on this challenge for such a great journey with my daughter.
Next week, I will discuss one of the strategies on how we are going to get there. We are designing our CAPTAIN Strategy courses to grow businesses with an online course, that incorporates ChatGPT, with all 7 principles. This will accelerate the process for our clients to create their strategic plan faster, to grow their business faster. If you are interested to be a part of this Beta course this Fall, please email me. |
