How "burning your boats" can skyrocket you to your goals

Achieving your goals can be tough. You may have a lot of competing priorities and it's easy to get discouraged.

It's hard to stay motivated when you're not seeing progress. You may feel like you're stuck in a rut and don't know how to move forward.

"Burning your boats" can help you achieve your goals faster than you ever thought possible.

Hi! I'm Sean Osborn I'm a mindset strategist helping you find clarity, achieve growth, and make your impact on the world.

There are two types of people in the world: those who take risks and those who don’t. The ones that do are rewarded with success, while the ones that don’t are doomed to a life of mediocrity.

Some would say this is due to luck, or coincidence, but it's not. It's because when you stop being willing to retreat from your goals, you start moving forward towards them instead.

Today we will look at how eliminating all sources of retreat can help you achieve your goals!

1. What is the concept of "burning your boats".

The concept of “burning boats” is often traced back to a story associated with the conquest of the Aztec Empire by Hernán Cortés. In 1519, 

Hernán Cortés made the decision to burn the boats upon his arrival in Mexico, in order to motivate his men and discourage them from turning back. This act of desperation showed his determination to conquer the new land and demonstrated his faith in their success.

He was about to send his armies against a powerful enemy, whose men outnumbered his own. He loaded his soldiers into boats, sailed to the enemy’s country, unloaded soldiers and equipment, then gave the order to burn the ships that had carried them.”

Addressing his men before the first battle, he said, “you see the boats going up in smoke. That means we cannot leave these shores alive unless we win. We now have no choice, we win- or we perish". They won.

2. How it can help you achieve your goals.

When you want something bad enough, burning your boats is the push you need to make it happen. This phrase represents the point at which you refuse to turn back, abandon or retreat from any goal or vision. When you're no longer willing to give up on your goals, you start moving towards them instead.

When you burn your boats, you're committing yourself completely to achieving your goal. There are no other options available to you – you have to succeed. This can be a major motivation booster, as it eliminates the possibility of failure.

3. My boats were burned for me :)

Let's say you want to start a business. This is a major goal that will require a lot of work and dedication. But what happens if you don't succeed? What happens if things don't go as planned?

Most people have an escape hatch, a plan B, and end up retreating at this point. They would give up on their dream and go back to working a day job. But this is exactly when you need to "Burn Your Boats".

4. What are the benefits of taking this kind of risk.

Taking risks can be scary, but it's also incredibly rewarding. When you achieve something that you didn't think was possible, it feels amazing. You feel like you can conquer the world and nothing can stop you.

On the other hand, not taking risks can be dangerous. Think about this, if you don't take risks, you are today all that you will ever be! NOW THAT'S A RISK.

The phrase "burn your boats" is often used to represent the point at which you refuse to turn back, abandon or retreat from any goal or vision. When you burn your boats, you're essentially putting all of your eggs in one basket. You're committing yourself completely to achieving your goal.  There are no other options available to you –you have to succeed.

This can be a major motivation booster as it eliminates the possibility of failure and spurs us on towards our goals even more than before! If this sounds like something that would motivate and inspire you then take some time today (or tomorrow) and start brainstorming what ships do you need to burn? What escape hatches do you have?

I hope you enjoyed this blog post! If you're looking to achieve your goals, burning your boats is a great way to do it.

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It is important to understand they are not goals nor merely desires, but profound needs that underlie and motivate every choice, every belief, and every decision we make.

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There are 6 human needs that everyone has at varying levels. The 6 needs are CERTAINTY, UNCERTAINTY/VARIETY, SIGNIFICANCE, LOVE/CONNECTION, GROWTH, and finally CONTRIBUTION. Knowing ourselves, what drives us, and what our blind spots could be are incredibly important. This test was developed by Tony Robbins and Cloe Madanes is a great way to get insight into ourselves.