Burn the Boats

Last week, I was perusing Instagram and came across a post from In Our House and Home explaining a phrase their family uses to dispel fear. For some reason, I had never heard this phrase before. I had heard of “who’s gonna carry the boats?” thanks to David Goggins, but nothing about burning them.

Basically, burning the boats gives no option for retreat. It means you go all in on your goal and while failure may be an option, quitting isn’t. It is a commitment to following through no matter what.

There are many experiences in life I’d love to give up on. Just say ‘forget it’ and throw in the towel. Looking back, there are many things in life I did give up on, perhaps too soon. I’d like to think I’m always mentally strong enough to push through when things get hard, but sometimes I’m not.

Additionally, there are new adventures I’m embarking on this year (like getting my MBA) that will no doubt prove challenging and are definitely fear-inducing. In this spirit of take-no-prisoners, I’m adopting this phrase to remind myself that quitting is not an option. And if I’m being fair to myself, failure is not an option either.

My guess is there is little scarier than landing in a foreign place and burning your escape route. That level of fear is a great motivator. Conquer or be conquered. Do or die.

This applies to all the goals in your life. Create that side hustle. Get that degree. Lose that weight. Whatever it takes–get after it and don’t look back at your burning escape route. You didn’t need it anyway.