|
|
|
Free Newsletter Sign Up |
|
Great
Ideas To Improve Your Life
950,000
Subscribers
...and Growing
|
|
Free Self Improvement Goodies |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Burn The Boats
By
Bob Bernatz, Ph.D. |
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Have you ever questioned your commitment to a loved one, your profession, your faith or a lifelong goal? Have you created a situation where you have one foot out the door, just in case things don't work out? Or, maybe you just want to keep your options open for a better alternative. This seemingly prudent and reasonable position of keeping one foot in and one foot out may actually be a recipe for failure in both scenarios. Here's why.
Our mind has many components. One of those components is what I prefer to call the "higher mind." The higher mind operates much like a hard drive running in the background of your computer. It whirls away crunching information and numbers while you play Halo or Tetris. Its purpose is to help you solve problems and to attain specific goals. Therein lies the dilemma. If you are sending it the message that you are open to a possible divorce, to having an affair, or to quit your job, it will begin to work on those instructions and, by extension, stop working towards coming up with creative solutions to make your marriage or profession more satisfying.
Burn the Boats
So you may be asking how in the world do the "burning boats" come into this commentary?
In 1519, Capitan Hernando Cortes and a small army left Cuba and set out to conquer Central America. Cortes was going to accomplish his goals, no matter the consequences. The myth states that once Cortes' troops landed in what is now Mexico, he ordered the ships destroyed by fire.
In burning his ships, Cortes took away all options to retreat and, I am sure, got the full buy-in from his troops to make it a successful campaign. They had no choice. Either drown in the sea or conquer this new world.
Do you allow "what-if" scenarios to dominate your thinking? Do you find yourself questioning your marriage, job or other significant decisions or commitments? Sometimes what is needed is not an external change but an internal one. Burn the boats in your significant relationships or in your vocation and see how creative you will become in making them great.
By committing 100% to them, your higher mind will be able to work far more efficiently in helping you to figure out the rest. A lack of commitment not only creates apathy, but it is emotionally draining and erodes your creativity. Without a clear commitment, you will be defeated even before you start.
Burn the boats.
Five Keys to Burning the Boats
1) Create a “have to” goal. One that will glow white hot within you. Then, burn all the other boats. A terrific relationship with your spouse, a great business, a new venture that changes lives, etc. Having a dynamic visual goal is vital and getting it down on paper is critical.
2) Action is key so act as if success is certain. By burning your boats, you will tap into your faith and create a laser-like clarity that brings everything into distinct focus. Your next steps will just flow since they will be so obvious.
3) Enlist the help of others. Nothing truly significant in life happens without other’s help. God created us to do things together. An individual with a burnt boat is nothing more than a castaway so tap into other’s wisdom and energy and be open to the great unseen forces of God as well.
4) Trust your “higher mind” to formulate connections that you never saw before. By burning your boats, you are simply freeing yourself to do something that you have been most likely been preventing yourself from doing all along.
5) Unconventional success calls for unconventional approaches. We all have hard-wired habits and ways of doing things in our life that, in time, can actually become roadblocks to success. Try completely new, unfamiliar approaches and see what happens. Charts and maps are terrific but, quite often, incredible journeys start by someone acting on one seemingly crazy and paradoxical hunch.
Bon voyage and God speed!
Author's Bio
Dr. Bob Bernatz has been helping individuals and Fortune 500 firms navigate significant life and organizational transitions for more than 20 years. A California state-licensed psychologist, Dr. Bernatz founded InsightGlobal, Inc. in 1991 to focus on issues and challenges unique to today’s entrepreneurs, executives and business professionals.
With Dr. Bernatz’s guidance, clients discover their full potential and find exceptional clarity and insight into their lives, businesses and futures. Through confidential advisement and exploration of individual values, beliefs and behaviors, Dr. Bernatz steers clients toward effective strategies for overcoming blind spots and other roadblocks to their goals.
Dr. Bernatz is the President of IG InsightGlobal, Inc., as well as the Editor and Publisher of the "InsightGlobal Report" and the "One Minute Wisdom" weekly commentary. He is also the creator of the "LifePlan Architect" process and Voxopolis.com, an online anonymous suggestion box which launched in the Fall of 2006.
Dr. Bernatz is a licensed psychologist specializing in executive psychology and anonymous feedback instruments. His formal education includes a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration from the University of Southern California, a Masters of Arts in Psychology from Pepperdine University and a Masters of Science in Counseling Psychology as well as a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) also in Counseling Psychology from the University of Southern California.
To sign up for Bob’s free weekly commentaries, “One Minute Wisdom” please go to his website and sign up. His address is www.insightglobal.com.
|
|
▲Top of Page |
|
|
|
Submit Your Articles