Burn the ships, if you're serious
A few years ago, in 1519 to be exact, Hernán Cortés made quite the statement. Upon arrival in the New World, Cortés was determined. He was so prepared to make his mark on world exploration that he commanded his men to do the unthinkable- he ordered them to burn the ships. While that may not seem all that significant today, more than 500 years ago, that was unreal. No infrastructure, no protection, no turning back. Cortés was all in. Full stop.
Today, most people tell you how determined they are. They speak of their motivation. You’ll read or hear about their commitment. Yet for Cortés, only actions would do. I would be willing to bet that he had at least some apprehension, a little bit of doubt and fear. But he turned that into fuel, letting his actions (through his men) do the talking. This took no small amount of courage. Rather than spend time strategizing, brain storming, and talking, Hernán Cortés chose to move. He took retreat off the table, removed Plan B, destroyed the contingency. In modern times he would undoubtedly be fired and ostracized as a loony. But because of his boldness, history still speaks his name and honors his deeds.
We all have the opportunity to burn our own ships. There exists the ability to go all in on something, almost every single day. You’re probably wondering how you can do this in your life, so I’ll tell you. It starts with defining what is your hill. The project, event, or thing that you are willing to lay it all on the line for. But few are ready to bet their houses or vehicles on an idea, so you can start small. Spend some time figuring out what you are determined to do this year. Maybe it’s start working for yourself, change jobs, start a family, end a toxic relationship. Whatever it is, define it.
Once you know what your goal is, find a small scrap of paper. On this, write down everything that has come between you and making your dream a reality. Any fear, any doubt, any self-limiting belief and lie you’ve told yourself. Call it imposter syndrome, call it paralysis, call it whatever you want. Just write it down. It doesn’t even need to be legible to anyone but you. The important thing is it physically with a pen write it on that scrap of paper. Once you have put down all those things, watch a YouTube video on how to fold an origami boat. I’m nearly incapable of origami and I figured it out, so you can to. At this point you should have a folded paper boat with all your fears and obstacles written on it. Now, go outside and get a small bucket. Fill it with water or sand. Once you have done this, get to a safe area, and take a lighter and BURN THAT SHIP! Watch the flames consume your negative thoughts. Once it has burned itself out, ensure that the embers are completely extinguished. Finally, the most important step, go do the thing.
This may seem like a silly exercise, but I will tell you that it works. Once you have taken the choice of quitting off the chessboard, you will never look at it the same. Your tangible, physical act of burning the ship rewires your psyche to be successful. You didn’t magically erase all future challenges, but you will be able to move forward with a much more profound sense of purpose. You’ve eliminated the excuses and the “outs”.
What are you willing to burn the ships to achieve? If you know what it is, what are you waiting for? There is a whole New World to explore and create the life you’ve always envisioned.