Don't rock the boat............. burn it.

I hate Tony Robbins.

OK, that's a lie.  He's confident.  He's driven.  He's so stinking positive.  Maybe it's those qualities he's got I ain't got, why I hate him.  Again, I don't.  I admire him, it's just hard to ride in that same boat.

He uses the phrase "If you want to take the island you need to burn the boats."  Seems he borrowed this from an expedition to Veracruz, Mexico that Hernan Cortes led in 1519.  The idea was to capture the magnificent treasure said to be there.  600 Spaniards, 16 horses, 11 boats.  Once they finally made it to Mexico, Cortes burned the 11 boats.

Huh?  Yeah, he did.  This sent a clear message to his troops, "there is no turning back," either win or perish.  No exit strategy.  Fired up the dudes, and within two years they'd accomplished the task at hand.

Stealing s'more from the article I read on this motivational dude, he told another story of Hebrew tradition.  In ancient times, Israelite armies would besiege enemy cities from THREE sides, thus, leaving the possibility of escape.  Worked.  As long as the enemy knew they had an escape route - that's usually what happened.

Burn the boats.

What are your success/failure stories?  Full steam ahead, or, "I ain't so sure I can do this."

My ex girlfriend's daughter had an idea.  She also had colicky babies.  She envisioned a "wrap" (Sweater) that would solve many 'mommy' purposes.  It would snug the baby up to ya.  It would cover ya up when you breastfeed.  It would have more pockets than there would be drawers in a Snap On tool, toolbox - oh, and it would be quite fashionable.   All that PLUS a strap to hold/retain/not lose, a binky.

Her mom, my ex gf, burned the boats in taking this creative idea and moving it to an actual business.

Me?   I woulda made a hurried template, cut fabric, sewn it, thrown it on E-Bay with the thought "this'll never work, but it's OK, at least I tried." (As you see.. I've got this boat that will take me back to where I came from.)

Not her.  She burned the boats. I would leave for work early morn, she'd be at computer with her blueprint.  I'd come home at night, she'd be at her computer with her blueprint, ten pages of notes, four or five pages in the trash, and a handwritten step-by-step 'dated' plan to make this come to fruition.  She took 30 years of business experience (And of course her daughter's assistance), and finely honed this idea, item.

This went on.   And on.  The template.  Fabric researched.  Fabric sewn, tossed.  Again, and again, and again - until it was Goldilocks porridge right.  Patents.  Insurance.  Invoicing, accounting, flow, purchasing, marketing, yada yada yada into infinity - until it worked.  Failure be damned, she was confident.  This process took almost two years from idea, to BOOM, the first "The Mommy Wrap" rolled off the assembly line.  They are now in their third year of production.(Bored?  Google 'em, it's pretty cool.  It's also on E-Bay, Amazon, and a hella lotta other websites where you sell junk.  Junk said lovingly, it's a very cool item.)

The idea, again, don't look back.  Burn the boats. 

I, on the other hand, set myself up for failure upon occasion.  OK damnit, you got me, with certain regularity.  What?  Me?  In a relationship?  Oh, I fear failure.  Rejection.  Other undesired outcomes, I ALWAYS leave my boat at the dock for escape, or, leave one side of the 'acre' to escape, get the heck outta here.  Thus, I've failed in the past.

What's in your wallet?  By that, I mean, howabout you?  You there, yep, the ones that just celebrated 40-something year of marriage, KUDOS.  You burned the boats and took the necessary risk needed to find and sustain a deep and fulfilling relationship. Way cool, and again congrats for burning that boat.

I jest.  Some.  I've been in two wonderful relationships.  Ultimately the boat rocked, swimmers jumped.

Non-personal relationships.  Driven.  You ever been driven?  Twice I have.  I literally fell into the job of assistant women's basketball coach at a small college.  I was a sophomore in college.  Before this offer, I lived in the gym.  I wasn't good enough to play in college, but I loved, loved, loved, the game.  The combination of my love and that offer made me driven.  I lived, breathed basketball.  I read every book I could get my hands on. I went to clinics.

At one clinic, a pro basketball coach told a story about how he got an "inbounds play' from his daughter's 3rd grade basketball team. I watched games, and games, and more games.  "Whointhehell is that guy and why is he writing in a notebook at a basketball game?"  I was OK at it (coaching.) Far from perfect, but I had burned boats because failure wasn't an option.  One of the few times in my ADHD life I've been driven.(The second? Eh, the company I worked for went brankrupt. I started a business kinda sorta within the same industry - and again, failure, hopping back on the boat, wasn't an option. I kinda enjoyed eating food for dinner.)

Another ex girlfriend.. (Victor, we're noticing a pattern here)..  uh huh, are.  Another ex girlfriend, well, she's the best Christian I know.  She reads the Bible every single day.  She goes to studies.  She leads studies.  And of course, she goes to Church.  She will not step into the boats of temptation, and the odds are with her because she's got The Big Guy on her team, at her beck and calling if ever a time of need.

I'm rambling.  Sorry.  I do that.  It's akin to jumping in a boat, saying to self, "you ain't gonna make it, turn back!"  Har.  I jest.  Some.

I just glanced at my belly.  Well, not really.  I felt a breeze so I looked down to see if my zipper was up and I couldn't see my zipper because my belly was in the way.  So, I glanced at it.

I'm thinking about taking my boat (car) to the gym.  Once there I will slash the tires, sever the battery connections, pour lighter fluid on the seats, take the most recent newspapers laying on the floorboard, place 'em on toppa the lighter fluid, then torch that sucker.  Burn the boat Victor, get ridda that belly.

Should you see my name pop-up on caller ID, please pickup.  I might need a ride home.

What's in your wallet?  You driven? You allow a way out?  Does your boat still float?

Don't rock the boat.  Unless of course, it's you, your honey that's in a relationship with you, and you're on a 'pleasure cruise', so to speak.

Love, Victurd