Burn the Boats
I want to tell you a little story, a historical one.
Let’s talk about the year 1519.
This is the year that Hernán Corté and his men arrived on the shores of Mexico. His expedition consisted of roughly 600 Spaniards, 16 or so horses, and his 11 boats. Their goal there was to capture the magnificent treasures that they had heard stories about and conquer the lands.
In a twist of unprecedented events, Hernán announced to his men to “Burn the Boats”. This sent a clear message to his men. There is NO turning back. They will either accomplish their goal or die trying. They will either win or they will perish. This created a massive rally of his men behind him and within 2 years they succeeded in the conquest of the Aztec empire.
What should you take away from that? He sacrificed their “comfort” in the conquest. He gave up their safety net because his desire to succeed was so great. SO what should that tell you about your “comforts”
Comfort wants you to stop. Comfort tells you it’s too hard. Too hot. Too cold. Too tired. Too everything. Comfort never encourages you or tells you “go one more”. Comfort tells you it’s ok. You get a participation medal for the attempt. You tried hard.
Comfort wants you to “try”. Trying doesn’t accomplish anything for anyone. Fuck trying hard. Get hard.
Although these might make sense from the perspective of holding on to a life preserver, they minimize the likelihood of success.
The same holds true in personal relationships. We fear rejection or other undesired outcomes so we float around and don’t take the necessary risk needed to find and sustain deep, fulfilling relationships.
There are times in our life when we need to make decisions even when we are unclear about which path to travel. We gather as many facts as we can, measure the risks, and then use our best judgment and the insights of others to guide us forward. Once we make our decision, we have to be willing to stick with it and not allow fear and second-guessing to derail us. Instead of focusing on the what-ifs, concentrate on the task at hand and the steps needed to be successful.
Safety nets and escape routes can protect us from pain and injury. But they also tend to reduce the effort, focus, and commitment that we invest in a process. Once you have completed your discernment process, you have to be willing to burn the boats behind you and trust your inner voice to pursue your dreams. Never look back.
Get comfortable with being uncomfortable, burn the fucking boats!