Alexander the Great arrived on the shores of Persia along with his men, as soon as they got there they realised they were vastly outnumbered… Alexander’s men pleaded that they retreat at once, returning at a later date with more men.
99% of men would suggest exactly the same thing, it’s the logical answer right?
Alexander the Great however decided to take a slightly different approach…
He ordered his men to burn their boats at once
As their only means of retreat went up in flames, legend has it that Alexander turned to his men and said “we go home in Persian ships, or we die”
This unorthodox decision lead to one of the greatest wins of all time.
Humans love to have options, when we set goals there always tends to be a second option sitting in the back of our mind, a safety cushion… the so called ‘Plan B’ that you’re ready to fall back onto if you don’t reach your beloved goal.
If you take the approach that Alexander did you will be setting yourself up for success, by focusing your mind on one thing, and one thing only you are left with no other option but to give it everything you have.
This principle can be applied to any aspect of your life.
That business you’ve been trying to set up on the side? Focus 100% on it… throw yourself right into the deep end and make it work, if you know you’ve got a comfortable job that’s paying the bills you will be nowhere near as inclined to give it your all, and I say this from experience.
So what risks are you taking in your life, are you putting yourself all in?
Do you have one eye on the battle at hand and one eye focused on retreat?
An exit plan will always lead to mediocre commitment.
Burn your boats!
Let me know your stories of courage in the comments below.