?Nothing has more strength than dire necessity.? (Euripides)
?burning firewood? by Connor Jalbert on Unsplash
Burning the boats is of extreme value in a number of circumstances when it comes to achievement.
What does burn the boats mean?
Burn the boats is a concept in which you leave no other option for yourself in context to something that you would like to achieve.
In 1519, Captain Hernn Corts landed in Veracruz to begin his great conquest. Upon arriving, he reportedly gave an order to his men to burn the ships in which they arrived in. In essence, he gave them no other option but to succeed at the goal of conquering.
Here?s the lesson: Retreat and failure is easy when you have the option to do so.
Why is retreat and failure easy to choose when we have the option?
The main reason why this occurs is because we love to take the path of least resistance. If we have the option to go for something easier in the short term and we are not motivated by a long term vision then we will easily follow the path that will soothe the short term pain at the expense of the long term.
The majority of organism, let alone human beings, will choose comfort and safety over discomfort and growth.
Why Is Burning The Boats So Powerful?
There are a number of reasons why this concept can be very powerful:
Burning the boats means that you either sink or swim.
Burning the boats leaves no room for interpretation. You either have the choice to rise up to the occasion and swim or fall down into your insecurities and sink.
Burning the boats brings the best out of you.
In many cases, leaving no other option for you but to succeed leaves you with yourself and your own skills.
Often times, when it comes down to the final stand, people bring out all of their skills and determination to accomplish something.
Burning the boats is motivation on steroids.
There is no need for motivating videos or pep talks when the boats have been burned. You are extremely motivated to accomplish the goal at hand, whether or not you feel like it because there is no other option for yourself.
There is no bitching or complaining, only work and tenacity.
Now, whether one comes from a place of love or a place of hate is another subject that can be discussed later, but the general lesson is that this strategy works.
?brown sailboat in beach under white sky? by Austin Neill on Unsplash
Burning The Boats Applied To Our Lives
Now, let?s bring it back to your own life. What are your ships that you could burn in order to achieve success?
Let?s go through a few common areas where we can potentially burn the boats?
Career
For many people, they are in a situation where they have a side hustle that is working well and a full time job. In most cases, I wouldn?t suggest burning the boats until one has enough resources to cover their expenses.
But, there are circumstances when burning the boats (quitting your job) is the best case scenario so that success can be achieved within the side hustle.
I can?t answer this question for you. Only you can do so yourself.
Health
Burning the boats in our health can be a very powerful practice. Burning the boats to the crappy food you eat, unhealthy people you associate with, lack of sleep that you engage in can become very beneficial on the road to achieving great health.
This is definitely not easy, but well worth it.
Relationships
Many times, burning the boats of a toxic relationship is absolutely necessary.
In my opinion, I would much rather be alone with myself and have very few friends that support my life instead of many friends who are toxic in their behavior and attitudes.
Burning the boats to unhealthy relationships leaves you with the potential to grow and also leaves room for those who are of higher quality to come into your life.
Conclusion
Leave no other option than for you to succeed at what it is that you desire. There is absolute power in experiencing the concept of burning the boats successfully and once you do, you will begin to find other ways in which to implement it practically.
Do not be scared to take the biggest risks within life because at the end of the day, none of us gets out alive. Take risks, fail, learn, and repeat until success is achieved.
Question Of The Day
?What is one practical one in which you will burn the boats in your life??
If you like what you just read, don?t hesitate to shoot a comment down below or give this a share. For more content like this, give me a follow and stay tuned!
