The 3 Myths That Cause People to Reject The Burn the Boats Mindset
When people first see my book, Burn the Boats, some reflexively assume the bombastic title encourages a reckless approach to life. Quite the contrary.
These are the three biggest myths that cause people to reject the Burn the Boats mindset, and the reasons why science and research prove that going all in is often a better strategy than a lifetime of hedging.
1. “Backup plans make me more secure.”
A landmark 2014 Wharton study found that participants in a closed study, who were allowed to simply contemplate a backup plan in pursuit of a primary goal, performed materially worse and were no longer as interested in achieving the goal.
“Just thinking about it — you haven’t invented a backup plan, you haven’t created a safety net, you’ve just contemplated the existence of one — causes people to lose focus on their goal,” the Wharton study says.
In a series of experiments, they found that thinking through backup plans did quash people’s motivation to achieve their primary goal. For example, after all participants in one experiment were told that performing well on a task would earn them a free snack, or the privilege of leaving the study early, some were prompted to think about “another way they could have an extra 10 minutes or another way they could get a free snack,” Milkman notes. “When people were prompted to think about another way to achieve the same high-level outcome in case they failed in their primary goal, they worked less hard and did less well.”
The Downside of Making a Backup Plan – and What to Do About It (Knowledge at Wharton)
“The punch line of this research could certainly be this:
If you prepare for failure, you may be more likely to fail.”
Professor Jihae Shin
2. “If I burn the boats, I will be forced to keep doing the same thing that isn’t working.”
Wrong.
You burn the boats for goals, not tactics.
When you fully commit to a goal like financial freedom, you have no problem killing tactics that aren’t working - like a bad product - because you’re focused on getting what you want no matter what it takes.
"Be stubborn on vision, but flexible on details.”
Jeff Bezos
3. “I am not a risk taker. Just ask my parents.”
Everyone is a ‘risk wanter’ because we know that on the other side of risk comes reward. But we are put in boxes from a very young age, often placed there by our parents, and once we adopt the identity of risk-averse, we self-select out of ambition. You just haven’t been taught how to harness your anxiety as a force to extract maximum effort.
The Yerkes-Dodson Law shows that there is a state of Optimal Anxiety: too little, you grow complacent - too much, you become paralyzed.
The metaphorical boats in your life - imposter syndrome, shame, anxiety - all conspire to make you want to retreat from your dreams. Once you learn how to harness and contain your anxiety like a finely calibrated nuclear reactor, you can dramatically increase your risk tolerance and achieve your true potential.
LIGHTING THE MATCH
Each week, I’ll be sharing some of the amazing messages I’ve received from fellow Boat Burners who have decided to stop hesitating and go all in on their life’s true purpose. To be featured on Lighting the Match, DM me on Instagram or LinkedIn!
Young folks should read Burn the Boats while they’re still launching themselves or contemplating a launch. Yes, read this book when you’re young, before you embark on the first of what are sure to be many careers. It will inspire you to think big. To believe in your own intuition. So dream big and take risks! BURN THE BOATS is for you! Don’t allow yourself to be underestimated. Don’t underestimate yourself! Yes, read this book again when you realize that you’ve become self-satisfied with what seems pretty good. You’re settling for security and predictability, and selling yourself short.
Let me know what you think of Burn the Boats by reviewing the book on Amazon. If you haven’t read it yet, get your copy today on Amazon or Kindle.