When to Burn the Boats
Without faith, nothing is possible. With it, nothing is impossible. – Mary McCleod Bethune
Article written by Alex Blackwell. Connect with me on Facebook.
Commitment takes courage. Many times we are content to stand on the sidelines and just watch as the game is being played. It’s safer there; but there’s no action and no opportunity for success, or growth.
Sometimes we just need to jump into it and see what happens. Sometimes we just need to burn the boats.
The ancient Greek warriors understood this idea. These Greeks possessed an unwavering attitude to victory and commitment. When the Grecian armies landed on their enemy’s shore, the first order the commanders gave was “Burn the boats.”
These commanders knew the power of motivation and necessity. With no boats to retreat to, the army had to be successful in order to survive. As the soldiers watch the boats burn, they knew there was no turning back – there would be no surrendering.
In our lives we need to do everything possible to make good decisions. We may not always be right. But if we follow a process of gathering the facts, analyzing the risks, and creating a viable plan based on the information available, more times than not we will make the proper decision.
However, fear can keep us from moving forward. Consider the missed opportunities in your life. Think about the relationships you didn’t pursue, or end. Think about the career opportunities you allowed to pass by because you were more comfortable with the status quo. Think about the dreams and goals you once had, but are now stuffed down into a seemingly unreachable place. Imagine if you had burn some boats along the way.
A leap of faith is just that – a leap from what you know and trust and to the unknown. Frequently, growth lives on the landing spot where you leap. The question then becomes, “do I leap”; “how do I know I know if I’m following my heart’s desire and not just making a stupid mistake?”
The answer is you really don’t know, for sure. The Greeks didn’t know, for sure, if they would be victorious, but there were extremely motivated because there was no other course; no other way. They didn’t think about the “what ifs.” they only thought about how to prevail and win.
You have the same choice in front of you. Perhaps there is a book you have always wanted to write, or a business you have always wanted to start; or someone you would like to approach and begin a conversation.
Safety nets are good because they can protect you from pain and injury, but they can also keep you from really putting it on the line. The suggestion here is not to do your due diligence or act in a rash manner, but rather once you have completed your discernment process and your inner voice; your inner wisdom, says, “Go!” You go!
Remove the obstacles and the excuses. Storm the shore with the attitude you will be successful. Set fire to the boat that took you there and watch as it lists in the water and then disappears.
Turn around and look forward; look ahead. Leave your fear and regret at the bottom of the water with the boat and begin moving in the direction you want to go. Surrender to no one or nothing and fully commit. You will get to where you want to go. You will be victorious, too.
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Comments
12 Responses to “When to Burn the Boats”
What do you think?
Great article! Just might shake some people out of their complacency. Definitely gave me food for thought-thank you!
I’ve heard the expression “burn the boats” before but didn’t know where it came from. This is an enlightening read. Yep, I need to burn some boats.
“A leap of faith is just that – a leap from what you know and trust and to the unknown. Frequently, growth lives on the landing spot where you leap.” What a great couple of sentences. And they are so, so true.
@ Ana: Thanks for stopping by!
@ Val: Yes, we find growth on the landing spot.
Hi Alex,
Just love “Sometimes we just need to jump into it and see what happens. Sometimes we just need to burn the boats.”
An generally for me my life has been much more exciting for just jumping in.
I have reflected today times when I have burnt the bridges.
Feeding my soul this morning on the beach I am happy we burnt a bridge 4 years ago and left the big city of Sydney to live in paradise, leaving behind family and friends who sometimes still ask when are we coming back?
Great thought provoking post
Namaste
Suzie
@ Suzie: Good for you for buring some boats!
Thanks for sharing! You have a way of putting it in a simple yet inspiring manner. I guess the best time to burn our boats is when we need to add this one very important ingredient to our success – COURAGE!
What a beautiful blog! I agree completely. Sometimes you just have to jump. I’ve heard it said that successful people analyze the risks and then walk to the edge and jump.
@ Stephen: Well said. It’s the “risk vs. reward” mindset. Thanks for reading!
I’d like to know what the expression “Burnt a bridge” means, is it the same as “Burn the boat”?, is about taking some risks?, to dare to do something?. i hope someone may answer this, sorry if you thing it should be easy to understand, is just that English is not my birth language…
@ Calet: The expression “to burn a bridge” means to take an action you may regret and will not be able to take back. For example, if you leave a job and on your way out the door you tell your boss that you do not care for him or her. The problem is if your next job does not work out, you will not be able to go back to your old job because you “burned a bridge” with you parting remarks. Make sense?
Alex Blackwell: Thank you. It does make sense, and now I’m able to understand that expression, and ready to use it as well. Thank you, again.
[...] were aligned with the founders. For the entire team, turning down the Google deal was equivalent to burning the boats on the shore. (One founder quit and joined Google.) After that, there was no doubt to existing employees and new [...]