Burn The Boats: The Merit In Abandoning All Distraction

Burn the boats.

In essence, it is the point of no return.

The idiom is now understood to mean:

“to cut oneself off from all chance of retreat; to stake everything on success.”

To go all in.

But historically, its origins aren’t so figurative.

It derives from the actions of two significant historical figures: Alexander the Great, arguably one of the greatest generals in history, and Conquistador Hernán Cortés.

Whether it was Alexander or Hernán, we know that both ordered the destruction of their ships to force their troops to choose success or death.

In the case of Cortés, it’s argued that it was either in response to a rising mutiny among his troops or to the built-up fatigue and frustration with their strenuous voyage.

Whether it was in the face of internal or physical barriers to success — or even both—the Spanish still conquered the Aztecs under Cortés.

In the case of Alexander, his army was greatly outnumbered by the Persian army, yet he burned every last ship on the same land he conquered the Persians.

Why?

Because there was no other choice.

For Cortés, it didn’t matter if his army was divided by faction or strength; they were united by desperation.

They had no choice but to find a way.

Because they burnt the boats.

The power in the flames

Why do you think it worked?

Because they were desperate?

Because they wanted to go home?

Because they didn’t want to die?

Because they wanted to return to their families and their loved ones?

Maybe, but I would argue something entirely different.

All of the above reasons applied whether or not their ships burned.

They still would’ve been desperate, homesick, in fear of death, and longing for their families, ship or no ship.

Imagine it.

The soles of your feet on the shore of a foreign land, among hundreds or even thousands of other soldiers.

Completely unfamiliar with the terrain before you and surely outnumbered.

With nothing, but your arms, your brethren in arms, and your mission.

Do you really think, while you watched your last shred of safety burn, you wouldn’t have been terrified?

The reaper could’ve been lying in wait at every single turn, waiting to embrace you.

Of course, they were terrified.

But burning the boats forced a posture change — it branded purpose on their hearts with a scorching iron.

It meant that in order to return to their families and their loved ones, they had to win.

In order to live, they had to win.

To breathe again, they had to win.

It left them with no choice but to win.

Purpose leads to transformation.

The beautiful thing about purpose, is that it goes beyond just giving you a reason; it transforms you.

For those soldiers, it transformed their barriers to victory into fuel for success.

Remember, it’s human nature to seek the easiest route possible — it’s the law of least effort.

Had the ships remained, that same desire to return home, in the face of unimaginable odds, would’ve stirred up deserters in the thousands.

Instead, it produced conquerors.

It turned their fear into strength.

Because there was no other choice.

So, what are you still doing on the boat?

Do you still have a way back?

Do you still have a way to back out or give in?

Do you still have some form of cushion or safety in pursuit of your purpose?

Are you still comfortable on your journey?

Do you have more in you that you haven’t given yet?

Honestly, consider it: can I give more to this?

Can I commit more?

Can I let go of more to achieve this?

If you can answer yes to any of the above questions, you’re still on the boat.

And fear will drive you away from your purpose at top speed when the stakes get too high or the wall in front of you seems too big to overcome.

You will desert your mission.

You know there’s safety as long as you can get to the boat.

All you have to do is, let it burn

I need you to burn the boat.

The reason why burning the boat worked for Alexander and Hernán’s troops is simple.

It aligned their true goals with a singular route of execution.

For some, their true goal would’ve been to return; for others, it would’ve been to live another day — many might’ve been in it for the glory or the thrill.

The point is, they all had different underlying true goals alongside their collective mission.

And the routes to execute all of their various underlying goals would’ve been numerous.

For some, as long as they came back alive—even if they were the only survivor — their true goal of survival would’ve been achieved.

And that has absolutely nothing to do with success in terms of their collective mission, but it’s successful to them.

However, their leaders understood that no one can serve two masters.

Therefore, the only way to achieve the purpose they set out to complete was to burn the boats — leaving one singular route of execution.

And the same happens with us.

In pursuit of our goals, in the face of difficulty, it’s almost as if we are of two minds.

Our purposeful mind and our comfortable mind.

Before it got difficult, the purposeful mind told us the true goal was to do 100%—our original goal.

But as soon as it became too difficult, the volume of our comfortable mind increased.

It went from whispering, ‘80% is fine’ to blaring it in our minds with a megaphone — an underlying goal.

And that’s the issue.

Difficulty will always give a voice to comfortability, irrespective of your true intentions.

So If you want to stay committed to your purpose — BURN THE BOATS.

Step 1: Empty the boat.

If you have anything more to give, you cannot leave it on the boat; you will never let it burn.

Do you think a soldier would’ve been willing to let the boat burn if the only picture of their family was left on it?

They would’ve done everything in their power to put out the fire.

You cannot give yourself a reason to revert back to comfortability.

So give it your everything.

If you can ask yourself, "Could I have done more?”

And you can still say yes; you haven’t finished yet.

Go back and empty the boat.

Step two: Let it burn.

Anything that allows you to remain comfortable with where you are.

Let it burn.

Anything that stops you from going the whole ten yards.

Let it blaze.

Anything that tells you, you can’t do what you set out to do.

HAS TO BURN.

Sacrifice it immediately.

It’s either that or your purpose — you choose.

You did not come this far to turn tail and run back to where you started.

As long as you burn the boat, you will always find a way.

LM