a piece of mind

Here is a story from Napolean Hill’s classic Think And Grow Rich:

“A long while ago, a great warrior faced a situation which made it necessary for him to make a decision which insured his success on the battlefield. He was about to send his armies against a powerful foe, whose men outnumbered his own. He loaded his soldiers into boats, sailed to the enemy’s country, unloaded soldiers and equipment, then gave the order to burn the ships that had carried them. Addressing the men before the first battle, he said, “You see the boats going up in smoke. That means that we cannot leave these shores unless we win! We now have no choice—we win—or we perish!”

What happened?

They Won.

Hill: “Every person who wins in any undertaking must be willing to burn his ships and cut all sources of retreat. Only by so doing can one be sure of maintaining that state of mind known as a burning desire to win, essential to success.”

I have a friend who desired to be a top real estate developer. He started working in the field and then got laid off. What happened? He propelled to higher levels of achievement by starting his own business.

He had no choice, his ship was burned.

Sometimes our ships get burned for us.

Other times our ships are waiting there on shore, we can hop in them at any time. Ahead of us lies a scary new journey towards success, but at our feet is our comfort zone, our status quo. In this case, it is easy to see what happens:

Nothing. Our fear keeps us where we are, and we sail away from success.

If you have a dream, a goal, a vision, a mission, a plan for success…and you are dedicated to it, what is holding you back?

What are you waiting for? What ship lies at your feet, what is your status-quo backup plan?

It most likely is the very obstacle that is preventing you from achieving what you strongly desire.

When there is no turning back, you can only move forward. When retreat is no longer an option, there is only advancement.

Risky? Maybe so. But as T.S. Eliot said, “Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go.”