Burning Your Bridges - No Retreat No Surrender

Is there a lack of progress in your life because as soon as you start one thing you drop it and start something else? Can having too many options become a drawback rather than a positive thing?

I recently went to see the movie “300.” The movie, which is partly based on historical events and part fiction, tells the story of the Spartan King Leonidus, who went to fight the Persian King Xerxes during the war between the Greeks and Persians. What made the battles Leonidus fought so remarkable, according to Greek mythology, is that he took only 300 men to fight against Xerxes’ army of over two million men. 250*250 OPEN AIR

Burning your bridges, however, is not something to be taken lightly. It requires careful though and reflection. The process of deciding your purpose in life and what you want out of life can be a long one and can take many months and even years of refining as you get to know yourself better and explore the possibilities life has given you. But once you reach a point where you know hat you want out of life, you need to burn your bridges. You must let go of all other options and pursue the thing that you truly want. In reality this may be several things. The point is that these things make up your vision for your life. That is the vision you must be totally committed to.

Burning Your Bridges – having options can be a drawback

Do not say to yourself “I will try to be a great singer and if that fails then I will try teaching.” Such light hearted decisions rarely bear lasting fruit. Decide to be a singer, if that’s your passion in life, and stick to it relentlessly. Having options makes you lazy. Having options makes you unfocused and undetermined.

For instance, one area where people make the mistake of thinking they have options is in marriage. They marry someone and after some time think that if things don’t work out they could always get a divorce and find someone “more suitable.” The result is inevitably that their marriage fails, not so much because they couldn’t make it work or they had “irreconcilable differences,” but because they still had options. They did not burn their bridges, and rather than work hard at making their marriage a success they took the easy way out and went for the next option.

Marriage is not the only place where people leave themselves with options. There are millions of people around the world who have settled for second best. They have settled for the safest options in their lives. Yes, they may not be truly happy and fulfilled, but they are surviving, some in grand style. The trouble is that deep down they know that they have settled for less than what they truly want. There is that nagging voice in the back of their minds saying “you could have done far better.” That voice often carries the truth of our purpose in life.” When our lives and our deepest desires are not in harmony we often know it. 250*250 OPEN AIR

Burning Your Bridges – know what you want

Creating that harmony starts with knowing exactly what you want out of life. Design the life you want in your mind. Be sure of it. Then discard all other options. It is either you will have that life or you will not live at all. It is either you will succeed at getting what you truly want in life or you will die trying all the days of your life. Do not settle for anything less. Coming up with an alternative life will not and should not do. Yes, you may need to rework the route to your ultimate desires every now and then, but never change the destination.

Burning Your Bridges – cross the bridge first

A word of caution: Don’t burn your bridges before you’ve crossed them. Burning your bridges does not mean dropping everything at once in the pursuit of your dreams. Dreams have to be worked out intelligently. One step at a time does it. Plan. Set goals and targets. Work consistently but patiently. Know how you will get by on the way to achieving your dreams. The important thing is that you never lose sight of your dreams and never give up on them.

Burning Your Bridges – conclusion

Have faith in God and in yourself that you will prevail and achieve your dreams. As the book of Hebrews says: “Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.”

You are all you can be. Go on and be it.

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