Burn the ships!

[Mr4213]

First off, sorry if this is in the wrong place! Was not sure where it would best go.
Secondly this is a post from my blog. I have left the website out. I wrote it and I believe it would provide some people out there value so I figured I would post it here.
Thirdly, it is a little long. Sorry!


I'd like to share with you a story I read from the book "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill. The story goes a little something like this.

A general was commanding his force against a opposing force that out numbered them three to one. He loaded his ships and men and set sail. Upon landing he ordered his men to burn all of the ships.

Why did he do this? Because retreat was NOT a option. After he did this his men knew that they either win or die. They had no where else to go.

They won.

You do crazy things when your back is against the wall. Sometimes it is better to burn the ships and allow your self no retreat. I promise you when its "win or starve" you will find a way to win. When you NEED something. Not WANT but NEED. You will get it. You are going to have competition your entire life. I do not care what it is. If its worth something you are not going to be the only person that wants it. But let me tell you a secret. If you NEED it and that person WANTS it, you will win. For you, its win or you do not eat that night. For them it doesn't matter. It would be "nice" to win, but they do not NEED to win.

The NEED to win is a very powerful advantage. Use it. If you have nothing. If people are counting on you. If your survival depends on it. USE IT. I cannot stress this enough. If you just "want to win" and you do not have the mentality of "I need to win" and you compete with someone that "needs to win" you are going to get the hell kicked out of you I promise. I NEED to win. I have family members counting on me to win. Family members that NEED me to win. I am counting on myself to win. I get no financial assistance. If I do not produce I will starve. When it comes to business (Or anything). If I am competing against someone that just "wants money" or just "wants to win" you better believe I am going to roast that S.O.B. I will spend every waking second of my day planning, learning, working and OBSESSING. While Joe is asleep at 3 in the morning I will be working. While Joe is taking a break, I'll be working. While Joe is spending time with the family, I'll be working. You better believe I care a lot more about my family than Joe's family. My family is going to eat. If Joe gets in the way of that and he does not have the same mentality? I will destroy Joe. And I will do it fast too.

Do not mistake this for "being cold" or anything of the sort. It is simply the fact that I NEED to win. If I don't, I starve. If I don't, my family starves.

My family isn't going to starve.

So to all of those people out there with serious struggles, you have also been given a gift. It is entirely up to you to acknowledge it and use it. You can wallow in the struggles, or you can embrace them and use them to your advantage. Its hard. I get it. It's hard to look at some situations with a positive outlook. I promise if you wallow in them nothing positive will come out of it though. Here is a personal example of mine.

I did not have a license or car at 16, or 17...or 18...It was not until I was 19 years old that I started driving (And not very good either hehe) I had no parents to teach me how to drive. I had no parents to buy, or help me buy a car. Hell, my parents would not even take me to the DMV. Hell, at some points my parents did not even have a car. In high school I watched as all my friends drove their cars (Some were very nice). Did it hurt? Yep. Did it suck? Hell yeah. Did I feel like a loser? Yep. Did I blame my parents? You better freaking believe it. And guess what? That did not do a damn thing for me. And why would it? Exactly. You know what did help me though? When I stopped focusing on what I cant control or influence. I cant change the decisions my parents made. I cant change the fact that I never had a childhood. I cant change the fact that I don't have parents to help me get a car. But I can change the fact that I don't have a car. I also knew that I NEEDED a car. No one person on this planet would get me a car besides myself. I NEEDED it. And guess what?

I got it.

I saved my money for 7 months and went and bought a car. I had the money to finance a really nice car (something I have always wanted). Did I do it? No. Because that would have been stupid as hell. What did I do? I found a reliable cheap little car and threw cash down on that dealers desk and drove out with a stupid grin on my face. Then what did I do? I learned to drive ("drive" hehe) and then I went and got my license. At 19 years old (finally) I paid cash for my OWN car, taught myself how to "drive", got my license and had my OWN insurance plan on the car. I needed to do it and I did it.

There was no other option. If I did not do that I would still not have a car to this day. I could have sat there and blamed the world. I could have blamed my parents. I could have blamed God himself. But that would not have done anything. I needed it and I got it. Nothing would have stopped me.

I took the tough road, and that my friends has made all the difference.

Until next time,

-toughroadbusinessman

 

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