Will You Make a “Burn the Ships” Commitment?

Will You Make a “Burn the Ships” Commitment?  What price are you willing to pay to achieve your dreams?

Imagine yourself on a quest to discover and capture some of the world’s greatest treasures: gold, silver, and precious jewels. It is the year 1519 and you, with about 600 other Spaniards, land on a vast inland plateau called the Yucatan Peninsula. Other warriors have come to this spot before you, but all of them perished before reaching success. Your captain, Hernán Cortés, is well aware of this fact, so he uses a novel approach. Rather than lead you directly into battle, he instructs everyone to stay on the beach as he bolsters your spirits with melodious speeches that are ingeniously designed to heighten your sense of adventure and hunger for wealth. Then, at the moment when you and the troops are mentally and spiritually fueled and ready to charge forward, Cortés does the unthinkable. He utters the famous command that changes history:  “Burn the ships!”

When you burn the ships, with no way to retreat and no exit strategy, your only choice is to conquer or perish. As history reveals, the army blazes ahead and becomes the first to successfully conquer the Aztec Empire. You have overcome all obstacles and become an inspiration for generations to come! How do Cortés and his small army that conquered an empire inspire you in achieving your dreams this year and into 2017?  (An excerpt from my book, “The RESIDUAL Effect”)

Although I have never faced a life or death situation, there are a few times when I’ve made serious decisions to move forward in my life. When I began my entrepreneurial journey, I was a man on a mission; but boy, was I in for the drive of my life. The road that followed included ups and downs, trials and errors, lessons and successes. Each milestone along the way marked my progress in the process of developing a successful business. Was it worth it?  Yes!

We must ask ourselves these questions. Am I willing to take the steps to gain the knowledge, take action, and the daily steps necessary to achieve my dream? We must also ask, is my dream “worth it?” In John Maxwell’s book, “Put Your Dream to the Test,” he created an exercise that asks 10 crucial questions that help us evaluate whether we are willing to do what it takes to achieve our dream. Here are the questions:

1. Is my dream really my dream?
2. Do I clearly see my dream?
3. Am I depending on factors within my control to achieve my dream?
4. Does my dream compel me to follow it?
5. Do I have a strategy to reach my dream?
6. Have I included the people I need to realize my dream?
7.  Am I willing to pay the price for my dream?
8. Am I moving closer to my dream?
9. Does working toward my dream bring satisfaction?
10. Does my dream benefit others?

Burn the ships! Cortés and his small army charged ahead with no way to retreat. For him, it was win or perish! Sometimes we must vanquish all forms of retreat in order to achieve the prize.