Why You Must Burn Every Boat Behind You
And leave no possible way for you to retreat
A long time ago, an army commander had to make a decision that would 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!”
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 is absolutely paramount on the road to success.
Halt right there!
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