How is your career like Ichabod Crane?

From The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving, Ichabod Crane was an itinerant school teacher or school master who landed in the small town of Sleepy Hollow in New York on the Hudson River. Ichabod Crane was a tall, lanky person, described as having shoes as big as shovels, hands hanging down from his shirt, having a broad, flat face and a long nose. When he rides his horse, he looks almost silly, and is definitely not someone who would be considered attractive or gregarious, but he is charming, especially to the ladies of the community. Ichabod is fond of hearing the ghost stories from the people of the town, but, unlike the people in the community, who are fascinated by the stories, Ichabod is extremely superstitious, and is terrified of the stories.

The men of the community, especially the farmers, aren’t too fond of Ichabod because of his role as a teacher. The families have to pay Ichabod to teach their children, and the men especially don’t like that. Since the wages he earns as a teacher aren’t enough to sustain him, especially in his larger than life appetite, Ichabod has a side hustle teaching voice lessons to children, and he also works for the farmers to endear himself to them and receive free room and board from their families.?

Ichabod has plans to marry Katrina Van Tassel, the daughter of a wealthy Dutch farmer, who is one of the wealthiest people in the area, but does not flaunt his wealth. Mr. Van Tassel, for example, has parties every year where he invites all the townspeople and has dancing and a large feast. Ichabod is truly smitten by Katrina, but he also has plans to invest Mr. Van Tassel’s money and grow his property empire.

Bram Bones, the protagonist of the story, is a large, burly man, with a crew of friends who travel with him. Bram Bones, always ready for a fight, also has his eyes on Katrina, and often calls on Katrina. An accomplished horseback rider with an equally large and strong horse, the people of the town know that when Bram's horse is tied up at the Van Tassel house, Bram Bones is visiting with Katrina, so keep your distance.?

Ichabod constantly tries to outsmart Bram Bones in courting Katrina, as he knows he can’t beat him in a fight, which infuriates Bram. Bram and his band of friends often play practical jokes on Ichabod, things like rearranging all the furniture at the schoolhouse to make Ichabod think it was the work of witches.

Ichabod receives an invitation to a massive party thrown by Mr. Van Tassel, with a large spread of food and dancing, which makes Ichabod extremely happy because he likes to dance almost as much as he likes to eat. He dances with Katrina often at the party, which makes Bram even more upset.?

At the party, Bram tells the tale of The Headless Horseman, a Hessian who lost his head to a cannonball, and seeks a replacement head on dark nights. Bram told of how he recently saw The Headless Horseman and outran him with his athletic horse, but Ichabod knows he could never do that on his borrowed horse, Gunpowder.

Ichabod does indeed come across The Headless Horseman on his way home, and, knowing he can’t outrun him, tries to trick the Horseman by having Gunpowder walk slowly to a bridge over a river that the Horseman is not allowed to cross. Making it almost to the bridge and freedom, Ichabod looks back at the Horseman, who throws his current head at Ichabod, knocking him off his horse.

Ichabod is never seen again.

The townspeople speculate that he left town because he was embarrassed since he wasn’t able to win Katrina’s heart, that he went to another town and became a lawyer, enjoying great success, or….. that the Headless Horseman took his head and left him to? be taken by ghosts and spirits.?

How, then, is your career like Ichabod Crane from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow??

Ichabod Crane, an itinerant teacher, had a side hustle teaching singing lessons to supplement his income, and also worked for the town’s farmers, living with them for a week or two as he worked with them on their farms. He knew that paying him as a schoolteacher was a burden on some families, so he turned his threats into opportunities. Be aware of your skills and contributions, and add extreme value to those you serve. You can remain true to yourself and your gifts by sharing those gifts with others in a way that adds value to them. Those acres of diamonds, just like for Ichabod Crane, are right there in front of you if you’ll open your eyes and your mind.?

Despite what Ichabod Crane had as his reasons for wanting to marry Katrina, he did have goals, and he didn’t let his fear of failure or his inner thermostat deter him from achieving those goals. With Bram Bones and many others competing for Katrina, Ichabod didn’t seem to have much of a chance, yet he visualized his success and leveraged the things he was good at in his attempts to win her heart. Stay focused on your goals and utilize the things that are already there in you to move yourself closer to your goals. Don’t let things get in the way of your goals, and realize, when you come against resistance, that likely means you’re closer to achieving your goals than you think!

I hope this Halloween themed article found you well, and that you both revisited The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and learned a couple of applications to your professional and personal life.?

As the Ted Lasso of career coaching and professional speaking, I help employees find the perfect job, earn what you're worth, and thrive using my proprietary REBELIEVE career system. If you’re interested in learning more or scheduling a free 15 minute REBELIEVE career discovery session, message me - I’m here to serve you and help you thrive.

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