Let me begin with a brief story, so stay with me because it will make sense in a minute…
It was the year 1519 and Hernán Cortés, with some 600 Spaniards and 11 boats, landed on a vast inland plateau called, Mexico.
The Spanish conquistador and his men were about to embark on a conquest of an empire that hoarded some of the world’s greatest treasure. Gold, silver and precious Aztec jewels were just some of what this treasure had to offer anyone who succeeded in their quest to obtain it.
But, with only 600 men — none of whom had encumbered themselves with protective armor – conquering an empire so extensive in its territories could only be undertaken by men with a death wish.
This daring undertaking was made even more insurmountable by the fact that for more than 600 years, conquerors with far more resources at their disposal who attempted to colonize the Yucatan Peninsula, never succeeded. Hernán Cortés was well-aware of this fact.
Ironically, it would only just be 3 words which Cortés’ murmured, that would change the history of the New World. As they marched inland to face their enemies, Cortés ordered, “Burn the Boats.” That was his strategy—and it should have backfired. For if Cortés and his men were on the brink of defeat, there wasn’t an exit strategy in place to save their lives. Their boats were gone! They were certainly stuck.
Remarkably though, the command to burn the boats had an opposite effect on his men because now, they were left with only 2 choices — die, or ensure victory. And fight they did. (Excerpted from BurningBoats.com) And they triumphed!
So why is this important to YOU?
It’s time for you to Burn your Boat, whatever that may be.
If you have a dream, it’s time to go for it. Now. Because what has happened to me—and to many others too—is that we are often passionate about our dream, but we cling tightly to a “life boat.” Our dreams are often achievable, but we allow our fear to hold us back.
This is why burning the boats is important. Your drive to succeed will reach a fever pitch when you have no choice but succeed…or crash and burn. It is frightening, but it is this fear of failure when all is on the line that will drive you forward. Trust me, I have done this, and it was worth every bit of anxiety!
When you burn your boat, you are making a fierce commitment to your dream. When you are afraid of failure, but you still have one foot in the life boat, you are far less likely to throw yourself into the storm to chase your dream. You don’t have to fully commit because you have an exit strategy. Here’s the thing: You can’t say you expect your dreams to happen and have your foot in the life boat at the same time. Take a Risk. Burn your Boat.
You will be happy with the results.
