Burn the Boats...
In 1519, Captain Hernándo Cortés landed in Vera Cruz to begin his great conquest to seize the land for Spain. They faced an uphill battle: an aggressive enemy (overwhelming in numbers), brutal disease and scarce resources. As they marched inland into battle, Cortez ordered one of his lieutenant’s back to the beach with a single instruction: "burn our boats." : Retreat is easy when you have the option.
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How fully would you show up for life each day – if retreat just wasn’t an option?
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How high would you reach?
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How greatly would you dare?
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How hard would you work?
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How loud would you live if you knew ‘your boats were burning’ and if you knew that failure just wasn’t a possibility?
Remarkable human beings get formed by living from a frame of reference that the only way out is the way forward.
We all hang on to something that acts as our escape route or our exit strategy.
We create a safety-net of “just in case” things don't work out. This safety net is generally based on fear.
We postpone taking action until we no longer feel fear. It is either that, or our actions are just superficial attempts that were never designed to succeed in the first place.
In reality, we must learn to act decisively in spite of our fear.
Cortés was on a mission and he knew that the only way to keep himself or his men from quitting the mission was to destroy the option to turn back. They had to either succeed or die.
I believe that to truly achieve the level of success every one of us desires, there are times when we need to “burn the ships.”
The questions we have to ask ourselves is this:
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What are the ships in my life? What am I afraid to let go of?
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Which ones do I need to burn in my life?
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What is it that makes it hard to burn? Is it a false sense of obligation to it or is it fear of the unknown? Could it be my fear of being perceived as a failure?
Maybe it is:
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Your Current job - Are you afraid of trying something different and new? Are you too comfortable where you are? Are you convinced that this is as good as it gets and there is nothing else out there?
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Your Career – Have you been dreaming of a career change? Does every ounce of your work drain you? Are you a people person stuck behind a computer screen?
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A Bad Relationship – Why is it a bad situation? Why can’t you let it go? Do you feel obligated to the relationship?
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An Unrealistic Dream – Sometimes this is the hardest one to identify. Is your dream just a fantasy, or is it really something that you can achieve?
In conclusion:
If you want to :
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Live a life that matters,
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Have a life while making a living,
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Understand yourself and your partner better and improve your relationship with family members,
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Be part of a School who has a desire to impact and change the lives of students,
Then contact me today for a free 30-minute session so that we could discuss your future as an individual, parent, partner, teacher or School!
Have a look at the programs/workshops we offer to support schools, families, and individuals.
As a qualified Life Coach, and experienced educator, I work with a range of individuals, students, schools and parents (families) and guide them to combine their passion and skills and Design Their Purpose.