I am constantly searching for stories that I can use to inspire and motivate my clients. “Burn the Boats” is a story that I use often to remind athletes that you have to give it all you have without have any “outs”, excuses, etc if you want to achieve your goals. I hope you enjoy it:
In 1519, Capt Cortes and 500 men decided they were going to do something that no one else had been able to do in the last 600 years… capture the world’s most valuable treasure. Located in the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, the treasure contained the world’s finest gold, silver, and rare jewels that had been hoarded by the same army for centuries. Many had desperately tried to seize it through the centuries but all of them had failed.
Cortes had heard about the treasure for some years and decided he was going to be the person to seize it. So he selected men who were as passionate about getting the treasure as he was. After assembling his crew, Cortes
and his men set out from Cuba to Mexico. They had 500 soldiers, 11 boats, and 16 horses; but faced a formidable army of Mayans far greater than that.
When Cortes and his men reached the shore, they made their final preparations for battle. Expecting a rousing speech from their leader, the soldiers were shocked when Cortes ordered three short words… “Burn the Boats!”
Cortes commanded his crew to burn the boats they had just traveled in to get there. The soldiers thought he was crazy. His men said, “What do you mean burn the boats? How will we retreat safely if the Mayans overpower us? How will we ever get back home”?
Cortes told his men that now their only way home would be to capture the treasure and the city. If and when they did, they could then return home using the Mayans’ boats. With no other option of retreat to fall back on, Cortes and his men stormed the city, seized the treasure, and returned home victorious. By not giving themselves any kind of out, they accomplished something that no other army had done 600 years previously.
Everyone must be 100% committed to success rather than having the option to retreat.