Burn the Boats!

There’s an old expression, burn the boats, which refers to a leader charging ashore and telling his men to burn the boats. This meant of course that success was the only option; they would conquer the land and turning back was not happening.

How many times do we pursue a goal with this type of commitment? When was the last time you burned the boats to follow your dreams?

Here are some indicators that you’re fully invested in your goals to make them a reality…

No Back Up Plan

I hear too many people say things like, “I’m going to give this a try for a year and if it doesn’t work out, I’ll go back to my current job.” This is half committal and sets you up for failure. When you have a soft cushion to land on, the vigor in which you pursue something is lessened.

You and I must be “all in” on our goals. This keeps our focus on one clear path and we’re able to avoid distractions that could derail our success.

Financial/Time Commitment

You know that you’re fully invested when you make a large financial or time commitment. There’s a certain pressure that sets a fire within us when our back is against the wall - when we’ve leveraged the house or the final bit of savings and everything is on the line. Some may think this is irresponsible, but for others like myself, this is just the motivation required to go full throttle! When I purchased office space for my business, I felt an immense amount of pressure to make the payments plus ensure a steady revenue stream which would pay for payroll, taxes, insurance etc., but it was worth it. It was the all-in commitment I needed to realign my focus and work with a deeper sense of purpose.

Continual Process

We must act daily to produce the desired results. Some days it feels like everything is moving like molasses, other days we’ll feel like we’re gaining momentum, but the reality is that if you’re progressing each day even in incremental steps, you’re winning!

This is most important when we have days that we don’t feel like it. We’ve worked a twelve-hour day, there are commitments and birthdays missed, there’s a book and bath calling your name, but you roll up your sleeves and get it done!

We must adopt the mentality that the only path is forward, and that failure is impossible. In fact, when we believe in our heart of hearts and set a course for our goal, it will become a reality. When it becomes something, we’re fully committed to and decided without wavering that turning back is not an option, then we will have burned the ships.

Are you holding on to a lifeboat right now? How will you burn the ships to conquer the unknown territory known as your best and biggest dreams?