XIPE: The Corporate Gap Year and Professional Renewal

Inspiration and Worldview - Cada Cabeza es un Mundo.

Often times, I turn to Tonatiuh (Aztec god of the Sun) for inspiration, the Sun, with its brightness, warmth, triumphant emergence, and graceful vanishments. Its sunrise, with a subtle, ever so gradual and beautiful appearance, and the breathtaking sunsets, they alone could make our day. If you don’t think it right, force yourself to sit with the sunset on a particularly bad day, you will see what I mean. 

It is not surprising then that it is with the Sun, where I have taken much inspiration over time. In many ways, Tonatiuh reminds me of my life’s values, at the center of my universe, my world being pulled by my values, always revolving around them. 

For each and every one of our lives, the world revolves around our values. These values may include love, family, and our career, and yet, for me, what I have found to be the most important of all values is the development of my world. The expansion of my worldview and understanding of my values. It is this growth, this expansion, which inspires me to truly identify what lives within my core. It is through the enlargement of my worldview that I fortify, validate and challenge my ideas. It is through this growth that I work on being the very best version of myself. 

My expanded worldview helps me in the roles I value in life. As I continue building on myself, I feel empowered to love more freely and be a better partner. I strive to be an ethical person and a leader who leads by example. So you see, by working on developing my worldview, every other aspect of my life has been enhanced. 

So you see, by working on developing my worldview, every other aspect of my life has been enhanced. 

How do we expand our worldview? This varies from person to person: some read; listen to podcasts; meet people from different walks of life; travel; enjoy the arts; take nature walks or a XIPE; and, in my case, all of the above.

As you may have gathered, I am finding plenty of inspiration during my XIPE. I spend many hours reading, writing, listening, dreaming, and learning from every source my heart desires. It’s been surprising what has called my attention during the last few months. In fact, during a lively conversation the other night, my creative muse encouraged me to read The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Aside from confirming the restorative power of sunsets, The Little Prince reminded me of the importance of visiting other planets and learning from the inhabitants of those faraway places.

With this in mind, I traveled to the Caribbean is where I had the opportunity to hike Mount Liamuiga, the stratovolcano forming the western part of the island of St. Kitts. Much like it was for The Little Prince, travel has always been a source of inspiration, a way of learning of others’ values and seeing with my very own eyes the many ways in which people lead their lives. 

I hiked to the top of this volcano, listening to stories of the local guides, learning about their plants, their way of life, and the immense pride they hold for this natural wonder. A volcano crater, a source of satisfaction due to its ecosystem diversity, Mount Liamuiga, the fertile land. I listened to the story of the people of St. Kitts and felt their power travel through me. As I reached the top of the crater, Tonatiuh gently caressed my skin through their lens. My worldview was expanded, I was able to understand their values. Leaving me inspired, reminding me of my core values, at the center of my life, my Tonatiuh, my passion for history, the love for people, and their culture. What’s more, I found that even when my busy corporate life did not permit an abundance of time to consider these ideas in-depth, my world still revolved around the glare of my values. 

Now, as we approach the first quarter into my Corporate Gap Year, my Xipe has already given me more strength, optimism, and hope than I could have imagined possible. Tonatiuh has never been as vivid, sharp, and resplendent.

Stream of Thought

Inspire the inspired,

Not a mere complication,

but rather an intention.

Tonatiuh in all its brightness,

a daily contemplation,

keep going with the rays,

not a flow,

but with direction.

Glowing with lucidity,

no routine in the consistent,

but the values in your core,

the pull within your soul,

the center of it all.

Understanding this one world,

the only one you have,

your world within the heavens,

the values in the Sun.

Knowing where to find,

the brilliance of your essence,

luster in the merit.

To fortify, validate,

and most habitually,

challenge what is known,

in your inner core.

To grow and to expand,

the world within your being,

your being within the world,

falling it may be,

into the depths of what is more.