How to Change Your Mindset [Part XIX]
Burn every boat behind you
If you want to make lasting and meaningful change in your life, you must adopt a winning mindset first. There’s no other way around it.
Problem is: Changing your mindset is often much easier said than done.
That’s why I’m dedicating the following series to help you do exactly that. Each day, I’ll dive into one specific (and highly powerful and effective) way to nurture a mindset that works for you instead of against you.
Yes, my friend — when we’re all done here, you’ll have all the tools you need to take your mindset from “I could never do that” to “Look out world, I can do anything!” faster than you ever thought possible before.
But it’s to you to put in the work and make the change.
So without further ado, let’s dive into Mindset Method #19.
Mindset Method #19: Burn Every Ship Behind You
Many years ago, an army commander was faced with a difficult decision to ensure his success on the battlefield.
He was about to send his soldiers to fight against a very powerful enemy, whose men greatly outnumbered his own.
He loaded up the soldiers, sailed across the sea, landed on the enemy’s shore, unloaded the army and their equipment, and then gave the order to burn the boats right then and there — leaving them with no way to retreat or escape.
Addressing the soldiers before they marched forward, he said:
“You see the boats going up in smoke. That means that we cannot leave the shores alive unless we win! We now have a choice — we win or we perish!”
Can you guess what happened?
They won.
And to succeed in any undertaking, you must be willing to do the same.
You have to be willing to eliminate every possible way of giving up. Burn the boats. Burn the bridges. Leave no way at all for you to retreat.
If you don’t, you’ll always be tempted to turn around and go back at the first sign of defeat — never quite allowing yourself to become more formidable and capable in the process.
Worst part?
The first time you allow yourself to retreat, you set the stage to retreat again. And every time you smack up against a wall of resistance, you’ll feel comfortable turning around and going back. Giving up will become a source of safety for you — and you’ll choose that over victory most every time.
Don’t do that to yourself.
Instead, burn every means of escaping behind you.
If you want something so bad that you must have it, then you have to stake your life on it. You have to go all in. You have to tell yourself that, no matter what, you will be successful in your undertaking.
Then (and only then) can you be sure to maintain a burning desire to win — which, in turn, creates a winning mindset that ensures your path to victory.
Halt right there!
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