Boat Burning

Burning The Boats

Have you ever questioned your commitment to a loved one, your profession, your faith or a lifelong goal? Have you created a situation where you have one foot out the door, just in case things don't work out? Or, maybe you just want to keep your options open for a better alternative. This seemingly prudent and reasonable position of keeping one foot in and one foot out may actually be a recipe for failure in both scenarios. Here's why.

Our mind has many components. One of those components is often called the "higher mind." The higher mind operates much like a hard drive running in the background of your computer. It whirls away crunching information and numbers while you play Halo or Tetris. Its purpose is to help you solve problems and to attain specific goals. Therein lies the dilemma. Re: your love relationship, if you are sending it the message that you are open to a possible divorce, it will begin to work on those instructions and, by extension, stop working towards coming up with creative solutions to make your relationship more satisfying.

Burn the Boats

So you may be asking how in the world do the "burning boats" come into this commentary?

In 1519, Captain Hernando Cortes and a small army left Cuba and set out to conquer Central America. Cortes was going to accomplish his goals, no matter the consequences. The myth states that once Cortes' troops landed in what is now Mexico, he ordered the ships destroyed by fire.

In burning his ships, Cortes took away all options to retreat and, I am sure, got the full buy-in from his troops to make it a successful campaign. They had no choice. Either drown in the sea or conquer this new world.

Do you allow "what-if" scenarios to dominate your thinking? Do you find yourself questioning your marriage, job or other significant decisions or commitments? Sometimes what is needed is not an external change but an internal one. Burn the boats in your significant relationships or in your vocation and see how creative you will become in making them great.

By committing 100% to them, your higher mind will be able to work far more efficiently in helping you to figure out the rest. A lack of commitment not only creates apathy, but it is emotionally draining and erodes your creativity. Without a clear commitment, you will be defeated even before you start.

Burn the boats.

Five Keys to Boat Burning

1. Create a “have to” goal like a terrific relationship with your spouse - one that will glow white hot within you. Then, burn all the other boats.
2. Action is key so act as if success is certain. By burning your boats, you will tap into your faith and create a laser-like clarity that brings everything into distinct focus. Your next steps will just flow since they will be so obvious.
3. Enlist the help of others. Nothing truly significant in life happens without other peoples' help. We are social beings and are meant  to do things together. An individual with a burnt boat is nothing more than a castaway, so tap into other sources of wisdom and energy and be open to the great unseen forces of consciousness and Spirit.
4. Trust your “higher mind” to formulate connections that you never saw before. By burning your boats, you are simply freeing yourself to do something that you have been most likely been preventing yourself from doing all along.
5. Unconventional success calls for unconventional approaches. We all have hard-wired habits and ways of doing things in our life that, in time, can actually become roadblocks to success. Try completely new, unfamiliar approaches and see what happens. Charts and maps are terrific but, quite often, incredible journeys start by someone acting on one seemingly crazy and paradoxical hunch.

Bon voyage and God speed!