BURN THE BOATS
***In 1519, Captain Hernán Cortés landed in Veracruz to
begin his great conquest. Upon arriving, he gave the order to his men to burn
the boats. It was a decision that should have backfired. For if Cortés
and his men were on the brink of defeat, there wasn’t an exit strategy in
place to save their lives. “If we are going to make it back it will be on
their ships!” The command to burn the boats had a wild effect on his men
because now, they were left with only 2 choices — die, or ensure victory.
And fight they did.
***Here’s the lesson: Retreat is easy when you have the
option. Let that stir in your brain for a moment. I had to.
***I like to remind myself of this before I begin an
endurance race and even on training days. It makes quitting not an option. Once
I have burned my mental boats I take off and don’t look back at all. I turn into
a horse headed for the barn. It is my way to ensure I make it to the finish line.
Burning the Boats to me is ensuring that I will finish these races no matter
what and knowing deep down that I do these races to inspire my kids, family,
and friends. I have been inspired by many endurance athletes and knowing that
feeling…..I want to replicate that for others if I can.
***We all cling to something that acts as our escape hatch
or our exit strategy (in the negative connotation). It’s our safety net “just
in case…” What we fail to do is honestly complete that sentence. We lie to
ourselves. If we were honest, we would say, “This is my safety net just in case I
get scared.”
***We postpone action until we no longer feel fear. Either
that, or our actions are shallow attempts never designed to succeed. In
reality, we must learn to act decisively in spite of our fear.
***Burning Things that “Make Sense”
“That doesn’t make sense.” We love that phrase. We love
to hide behind it. We tell ourselves that certain things don’t make sense. It
would have “made sense” for Cortés to keep a ship or two if not his entire
fleet. But Cortés was on a mission and he knew that the only way to keep
himself or his men from quitting on the mission was to take that option off the
table.What Cortés did was force himself and his men to either succeed or die.
Retreat was not an option. I believe that to truly achieve the level of
success we each desire, there are times when we need to “BURN THE BOATS!”
***The question we have to ask ourselves is this: What
are my Boats? What am I afraid to let go of?
***I can’t answer that question for you, but I can give you
some areas to consider as you ponder the question, “What Boats do I need to
burn in my life?” Example of a Boat that I burn is falling into comfort being at the workplace, training or at home with family. This means I always need to challenge myself to get better in all these aspects of life. It is easy to get comfortable and not strive for more. Take on or make more responsibility that will lead to growth.
Another Boat that I fall back on is alcohol. I enjoy some drinks (sometimes too many too often.) and I feel like this has turned into a Boat in my life that I keep looking back at knowing it shouldn't be there and it is holding me back. I just Burned this Boat and quit drinking. Chasing the Big Foot 200 Run, this is a Boat that I need not return to and it will lead to a better me.
Don't look back to your Boats anymore!!! Burn them and move forward.
#BURNTHEBOATS
