Burn the Boats

In the age of exploration, countries were trying to understand what was across the Atlantic. Many expeditions were sent to try and uncover the mystery of the “New World.” The conquistador Hernán Cortés and his fleet arrived in the New World in the year 1519. He arrived with 600 men exhausted from the journey. In an attempt to motivate his men, Cortés ordered them to burn the boats. As the flames danced on the decks of the boats, it became clear there was only one option for the soldiers, succeed. They had no way of returning back home across the Atlantic. They had to push onward. The burning of the boats signaled the start of the quest to conquer the Aztec Empire and colonize Mexico.

Burning the boats has become a saying dedicated to commitment. When you “burn the boats” you leave no option for return. You are committing to action and working to succeed. Quitting is not an option because you have nothing to return to. There are various levels to how you can “burn the boats” in your life but the reality of the statement is that it is a perspective change. Your mind flips a switch and you commit to the all-in mantra. When you decide to do something and your boats are burned, you will find a way. There is no other option.

If you want to become an actor, move to LA with no job. You have no backup plan aside from making it work.

If you want to learn a new language, move to a foreign country. You will be forced to rapidly learn or else be lost in translation.

If you want to achieve a personal goal, make it a public statement. With it public, you have to work to achieve or else you will fail in the eyes of others.

If you want to lose weight, throw away all of the unhealthy food in your house. You will eat healthily because you have to.

Four examples with four levels of commitment required. Four different levels of “burning the boats.” But there is no limit to what this ideology can be applied to. It is a personal decision to quit letting yourself have backup plans or escape plans. It is a decision to conform to the idea you will succeed. You will succeed because there is no other option. You either succeed or die trying. That is the essence of the saying. Win at all costs because you cannot “go home.” Stand on the beach and burn the boats. The only way is the way ahead.