“Go for Broke Day” is coming up on April 5th. Are you ready? Do you know why we celebrate “Go for Broke Day”?The History
While no one seems to really know how “Go for Broke Day” got started, the term “go for broke” was adopted by the 442nd Infantry Regiment and comes from the Hawaiian pidgin phrase used by crap shooters when they want to risk all their money on one roll of the dice.
What the heck is Hawaiian Pidgin? “Pidgin”, in general, is a language created by two groups of people with different languages who need to find a way to communicate with each other.
Hawaiian Pidgin is a language that was created when Native Hawaiian’s and foreign immigrants, including Japanese and English-speaking immigrants, tried to communicate as they worked the sugarcane plantations. It became so popular that it surpassed the plantations and became an independent language based partly on English. Grammatical rules and phrases were combined from Hawaiian, Japanese, and Filipino. It was this language that coined the phrase “go for broke.”
During World War II after the attack on Pearl Harbor, many Japanese Americans volunteered and joined the armed forces, in part, to prove their loyalty to America. The 442nd Infantry Regiment was made up of mostly Japanese-Americans and they fought with such bravery that they became the most decorated
infantry regiment in the entire history of the Army.
On April 5, 1945, Private First Class Sadao Munemori, the first Medal of Honor recipient in the regiment, was killed in action saving two men in his unit and clearing the path for his company’s victorious advance. The motto for the regiment became “Go for broke!”
How Does This Apply to You?
The question now becomes, how can you apply this same motto to your life? “Go for Broke Day” is a way to celebrate your life, your passions, and take risks to advance your own path.
How can you celebrate Go for Broke Day?
What are you willing to risk to advance your goals? What are your passions, your projects, your ideas for something great? On April 5th, do something to
honor your own goals and take a risk towards achieving them.
Make that phone call, create that website, find a mentor, do whatever it is you need to do to move forward on your goals. Commit to going for broke when it comes to your actions and finally reaching that goal you’ve been dreaming of.
Some Ideas
Some ideas for you and your business:
- How about making some updates to that website that has stayed the same since you launched it 5 years ago.
- Never blogged, how about blogging today or guest blogging.
- Not on social media, how about setting up a Facebook, Instagram or Twitter account.
- You have a LinkedIn account how about updating your headshot to what you look like today?
- Boost your Facebook post to reach more people.
- Buy a lottery ticket.
- Call a past client you have not heard from in a long time and just say Hi! No selling just say Hi!
- Instead of sending an email call that person.
- Change the voicemail on your phone. You know it’s the same message that you set up your phone with.
- Send a handwritten thank you note.
- Make an appointment for a new headshot.
- Sign up for a new course.
- Stop and smell the roses.
The sky is the limit. But break out of your routine and celebrate”Go For Broke Day” by challenging yourself to do something new, different, or out of your comfort zone.
