Burn the Boats

Burn the Boats Plot Summary

Introduction

Have you ever stood at the edge of a major life decision, teetering between taking the leap or retreating to the safety of your comfort zone? That moment of uncertainty is where transformation begins. Most of us have been conditioned to create backup plans, to hedge our bets, to leave ourselves an escape route just in case things don't work out. But what if this very safety net is what's holding you back from achieving extraordinary results? The most successful people throughout history have understood a powerful secret: true greatness comes when you eliminate the possibility of retreat. By metaphorically "burning the boats" – like ancient warriors who destroyed their vessels upon landing on enemy shores – you create a situation where moving forward is your only option. This mindset shift eliminates hesitation, focuses your energy, and unleashes creativity and determination you never knew you possessed. When you remove Plan B from the equation, you'll discover resources within yourself that only emerge when failure is not an option.

Chapter 1: Trust Your Instincts and Embrace Discomfort

At its core, trusting your instincts means recognizing that you possess unique knowledge about your path forward that nobody else can fully comprehend. While conventional wisdom and external pressures often sway us off course, your inner guidance system is frequently trying to point you toward your highest potential. The problem is that most of us have been conditioned to dismiss these intuitive nudges in favor of safer, more conventional choices. Matt Higgins exemplifies this principle through his own remarkable journey. As a teenager living in poverty in Queens with his ailing mother, he made the unconventional decision to drop out of high school at sixteen. Rather than a desperate move, this was a strategic choice - he realized he could get his GED, immediately enroll in college, and accelerate his path to better jobs and financial stability. His guidance counselor warned this would ruin his life, but Higgins trusted his instincts. This seemingly radical choice became the foundation that eventually led him to become the youngest press secretary in New York City history and later a successful entrepreneur and investor. Higgins didn't arrive at this decision impulsively. He first crashed college preparation events, boldly asking representatives from prestigious schools if they would consider a GED recipient with excellent scores. He meticulously planned his unorthodox path, creating what he called "a crisis of his own making" by deliberately failing classes to make staying in school impossible. When the day came to drop out, despite feeling shame walking through the halls returning textbooks, he powered through because his instincts told him this was right. To implement this principle in your own life, start by actively listening to those intuitive nudges. When you feel strongly about a direction but can't fully explain why, don't immediately dismiss it. Instead, explore it by asking: Does this align with my deepest values? Would pursuing this generate energy and excitement? What specific steps would make this possible? Remember that your unique combination of experiences gives you insights others don't have. Practice quieting external voices temporarily when making important decisions. Create dedicated reflection time without input from others, allowing your authentic voice to emerge. Then test your intuition in low-stakes situations before applying it to major life choices. Notice the physical sensations that accompany good decisions versus poor ones - your body often recognizes truth before your conscious mind does. Trusting your instincts isn't about abandoning reason or analysis. Rather, it's about recognizing that your gut feelings often integrate more information than your conscious mind can process. When you embrace discomfort and follow these internal signals, you open yourself to possibilities others can't see - just as Higgins did when he chose an unconventional path that ultimately transformed his life.

Chapter 2: Overcome Demons and Take the Leap

Overcoming your demons involves confronting the limiting beliefs, fears, and past failures that hold you back from taking decisive action. It's about recognizing that the greatest barriers to your success often exist within your own mind, and developing the courage to push past them even when it feels impossible. When Rex Ryan was coaching the New York Jets, he faced a devastating public scandal that threatened both his marriage and career. Videos surfaced showing Ryan pretending to be a police officer pulling over his wife, followed by intimate footage of him massaging her feet in a sexually suggestive manner. The media coverage was relentless, and Ryan was mortified, convinced this would end his marriage and coaching career. In this vulnerable moment, Higgins approached him with unexpected advice. Rather than hiding in shame, Higgins suggested Ryan should reframe the narrative: "You shouldn't be ashamed—you should be on Oprah! You're going to have a five-book deal on how to spice up your marriage!" This perspective shift was transformative. Instead of letting embarrassment destroy him, Ryan embraced his humanity. "I love my wife," Ryan explained, "and you wouldn't believe how many people came up to me after the whole thing happened and said they supported me." By owning his vulnerability rather than running from it, Ryan discovered that his perceived weakness actually strengthened his connection with players and fans. "My shame became my strength," he realized. To overcome your own demons, start by identifying the specific internal barriers holding you back. These might include imposter syndrome, fear of judgment, perfectionism, or lingering shame from past experiences. Name these demons specifically, as labeling them diminishes their power. Then examine the evidence - are these limiting beliefs actually true, or are they distortions based on fear? Next, practice reframing your perceived weaknesses as potential strengths. Ryan discovered that his vulnerability made him more relatable and authentic as a leader. Similarly, your struggles might offer unique perspectives, resilience, or empathy that others don't possess. As Higgins notes, "The lower you start out in life, the more striking the juxtaposition of your subsequent success." Create a practice around absorbing wins while reflecting on losses. This means fully acknowleding and celebrating your achievements, while extracting lessons from failures without letting them define you. As Michael Rubin, founder of Fanatics, says: "I like my losses. To me, a loss is a precursor to a win. I learn from them. I grow from them." Remember that everyone faces internal demons - even those who appear most successful. By developing self-compassion and courage to face these obstacles head-on, you'll discover that what once felt like your greatest liability can become your unique advantage. As you build this muscle of confronting fears and limiting beliefs, taking the leap toward your dreams becomes not just possible but inevitable.

Chapter 3: Optimize Anxiety and Embrace Crisis

Optimizing anxiety is about finding the perfect middle ground where stress propels you forward rather than paralyzes you. The relationship between anxiety and performance follows what psychologists call the Yerkes-Dodson law: too little anxiety leaves you unmotivated, while too much impairs your ability to function. The sweet spot—optimal anxiety—is where peak performance occurs. Eric Mangini, former head coach of the New York Jets, intuitively understood this principle. During his tenure from 2006 to 2008, Mangini deliberately created controlled stress environments for his players. He would blast deafening music during practice sessions so players couldn't hear each other's signals, forcing them to develop alternative communication methods. The cacophony simulated the ear-splitting crowd noise they would encounter in away games. "I wanted to get them used to discomfort," Mangini explained. "That's how you grow." Mangini even transformed a training room into what he called a "brain battlefield," enlisting former military colonel Dr. Louis Csoka to hook players up to biofeedback machines. The players would visualize game scenarios while monitoring their brain waves, learning to manage their mental state under pressure. Through these techniques, Mangini helped his team thrive under conditions that might otherwise have undermined their performance. To optimize your own anxiety, start by auditing your current stress levels. Are you too comfortable, coasting without growth? Or are you overwhelmed to the point of paralysis? Finding your personal sweet spot requires honest self-assessment. Look for signs that you're operating at peak performance: challenged but energized, focused rather than scattered, productive rather than busy. When facing high-pressure situations, develop specific techniques to modulate your anxiety. These might include visualization exercises similar to those Mangini's players used, strategic preparation rituals, or physical practices like controlled breathing or meditation. Research shows that even brief meditation sessions can significantly reduce anxiety while preserving the motivational benefits of stress. Consider building a personal support system that can help regulate your anxiety levels. This might include a trusted partner or friend who understands your goals, a coach or mentor who can provide perspective, or even specific environments that help you maintain optimal focus. Just as Mangini created specialized training conditions for his players, you can design your surroundings to keep you in your performance zone. Embracing crisis means viewing disruption not as a disaster but as an opportunity for breakthrough. When faced with unexpected challenges, ask yourself: "If I were starting from scratch today, what would I do?" This question liberates you from outdated assumptions and opens new possibilities that weren't visible before the crisis emerged.

Chapter 4: Break Limiting Patterns That Hold You Back

Breaking limiting patterns means identifying and disrupting the recurring behaviors, thought processes, and situational triggers that consistently prevent you from reaching your potential. These patterns are often invisible to us because they've become so deeply ingrained in our daily lives that we no longer question them. Nicholas Horbaczewski, founder of the Drone Racing League, encountered this challenge as his company grew. After launching what would become the premier drone racing organization in the world, Horbaczewski found himself overwhelmed trying to handle every aspect of the business. "It's definitely easier to try to just keep doing it all yourself," he admitted. "I did that for a long time—too long. But at some point, I had to acknowledge I was making the wrong tradeoffs." Despite building a successful company that attracted millions in investment, Horbaczewski realized he had become the bottleneck to further growth. His pattern of micromanagement and reluctance to delegate was limiting the organization's potential. The breakthrough came when he hired Rachel Jacobson as DRL's president following their C-round of financing. It was a difficult decision that required him to step back from areas he had always controlled. "She was exactly what we needed to supercharge our trajectory," Nicholas explained. With Jacobson on board, the company accelerated its growth, securing new partnerships, getting drone racing legalized for sports betting, and expanding their video game to top consoles. "Without her, I'm not sure DRL would have lasted another year," Horbaczewski reflected. "One person can't do it all alone." To identify your own limiting patterns, start by examining recurring frustrations in your life. Where do you consistently feel stuck? What goals have you set multiple times without progress? These repeated challenges often point to underlying patterns. Ask trusted friends or colleagues what behaviors they notice you repeating that might be holding you back. Once you've identified a pattern, trace it to its source. Is it a learned behavior from childhood? A response to past trauma or failure? Understanding where the pattern originated can help diminish its power. Then design specific interventions to disrupt the pattern. If you struggle with delegation like Horbaczewski, start by identifying one specific responsibility you can hand off this week. Create accountability systems to support your new behaviors. This might include regular check-ins with a mentor, tracking your progress in a journal, or establishing consequences for falling back into old patterns. Remember that breaking entrenched habits requires consistent effort over time - research suggests it takes anywhere from 18 to 254 days to form a new habit, with an average of 66 days. The final step is replacing limiting patterns with empowering alternatives. Don't just stop micromanaging; actively practice trusting your team. Don't just avoid negative self-talk; develop specific affirmations that counter your critical inner voice. By systematically identifying and disrupting patterns that no longer serve you, you create space for unprecedented growth and achievement.

Chapter 5: Build More Boats and Manifest Dreams

Building more boats means continually launching new ventures, projects, and aspirations even as you're completing current ones. Rather than viewing success as a destination, this principle frames it as an ongoing journey of perpetual growth and accomplishment, with each achievement serving as a launching pad for the next. Marc Lore exemplifies this principle through his extraordinary career trajectory. After selling his first company, The Pit, to sports-card giant Topps for $5.7 million in 2001, Lore could have settled for a comfortable life. Instead, he immediately began building his next venture, Diapers.com, which he eventually sold to Amazon for $545 million. Rather than retiring, Lore then founded Jet.com, an e-commerce platform he sold to Walmart for $3.3 billion. Even after these massive successes, Lore continued building new boats. He left Walmart in 2021 to pursue even more ambitious dreams: creating Wonder, a mobile restaurant delivery service; becoming co-owner of the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves with Alex Rodriguez; and planning "a city of the future" called Telosa, designed to reimagine urban living with a focus on sustainability and equity. "I'm trying to create a new model for society," Lore explained, "where wealth is created in a fair way." To implement this principle in your own life, start by consolidating your current gains. Identify the specific advantages you've accumulated from past successes - skills, relationships, resources, credibility - and consider how these assets can be leveraged toward new goals. Ask yourself: "What can I do today that I couldn't do yesterday?" Each accomplishment expands your capability and creates new possibilities. Avoid the trap of incremental progress. Alexander Harstrick, a former military intelligence officer with a Harvard MBA, initially planned to take a conventional job at a private equity firm to "pay his dues" before eventually starting his own fund. After a conversation with Higgins challenged this incremental mindset, Harstrick rejected the job offer and immediately began raising money for his own investment fund. Within months, he had closed a $10 million fund and was raising $50 million more. "The most surprising thing I've found about starting something new," Harstrick shared, "is how un-scary it has been." Create systems to manage multiple ventures simultaneously. This might involve building teams you can delegate to, establishing clear priorities and boundaries, or developing routines that maximize your energy and focus. Remember that you don't have to wait for one project to finish before beginning another - many of the most successful people are pursuing multiple goals concurrently. Finally, maintain perspective about what truly matters. The joy is in the journey, not the destination. As Gary Vaynerchuk explains: "I don't need the outside validation because I'm in it for the game. I'm thrilled with success, thrilled with fancy things, but they're such a distant second and third to my complete obsession over the game and the process." By continuously building new boats even as current ventures succeed, you maintain the momentum, excitement, and purpose that make life fulfilling. Success becomes not a finish line but a launchpad for ever-greater accomplishments and impact.

Summary

Throughout this journey, we've explored the transformative power of eliminating backup plans and committing fully to your most important goals. From trusting your deepest instincts to overcoming internal demons, from harnessing anxiety as fuel to breaking patterns that limit your potential, each principle builds toward a life of continuous growth and accomplishment. As Higgins powerfully states, "If you're someone who's worried you won't succeed, you've already failed." The willingness to burn your boats - to commit so completely that retreat becomes impossible - is what separates those who achieve greatness from those who merely dream of it. Your next step is simple but profound: identify one area of your life where you've been hedging your bets, creating backup plans, or holding back from full commitment. Then take decisive action to eliminate those safety nets. Remember that the temporary discomfort of uncertainty is far preferable to the permanent regret of wondering what might have been. The moment you burn your boats and commit without reservation is the moment your life begins to transform in ways you never thought possible.

About Author

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Matt Higgins

Founder. Operator. Investor. Educator. Shark. No matter the role, Matt Higgins has always believed in trusting his instincts and never outsourcing his judgment. Higgins grew up in Queens, hawking flowers on street corners and scraping gum under tables at McDonald’s to help feed his family. On a mission to escape poverty as fast as possible and provide for his home-bound mother, he dropped out of high school, took his GED and enrolled in college at 16 – eventually earning his juris doctorate from Fordham Law at night while working full-time.A decade after dropping out of high school, Higgins was appointed the youngest Mayor’s press secretary in NYC history at 26, managing the global media response during the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. He then became one of the first employees – and ultimately Chief Operating Officer – of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, the federally funded government agency created to rebuild the World Trade Center site. Higgins helped organize the largest international design competition in history culminating in Reflecting Absence, the September 11th National Memorial, and the development of the 1,776-feet-tall One World Trade Center, the tallest building in the northern hemisphere.Higgins has deep experience in sports, having spent 15 years in senior leadership positions with National Football League teams. He made his mark with two NFL franchises, overseeing the revenue functions of the New York Jets as Executive Vice President of Business Operations, and after leaving the Jets, serving as Vice Chairman of the Miami Dolphins from 2012 - 2021. Higgins cofounded New York City-based RSE Ventures in 2012 alongside developer Stephen M. Ross, amassing a multi-billion-dollar investment portfolio of leading brands across sports and entertainment, media and marketing, food and lifestyle, and technology industries. NYC’s iconic Magnolia Bakery is one of the latest additions to a portfolio that includes David Chang’s renowned culinary brand, Momofuku, and Australian-inspired hospitality/lifestyle brand, Bluestone Lane.RSE has successfully backed many challenger brands from inception, including RESY, an Open Table competitor that American Express acquired in 2019; the Drone Racing League, which was named among Fast Company’s 10 Most Innovative Sports Companies; and Relevent Sports, the leading international soccer agency in the US. Higgins was the first client and ultimately only partner in VaynerMedia, the largest social-media first agency in the world founded by Gary Vaynerchuk. VaynerMedia was recently namedAdweek’s 2022 Breakthrough Media Agency of the Year and ranked #5 on Ad Age’s 2022 Agency A-List.Higgins is a prolific investor in the direct-to-consumer space, having invested in over 100 DTC brands throughout his career. He leveraged this expertise to become a lecturer and Executive Fellow at Harvard Business School, where he teaches the popular course Moving Beyond DTC alongside HBS Professor Len Schlesinger. Each year, the course features real-world case studies on some of the top consumer brands in the US. Higgins’ first book Burn The Boats will be published by Harper Collins William Morrow in 2023. The book offers a blueprint for a life where ‘Plan B’ is never an option – instead, advocating to always move forward with visionary defiance, bold self-confidence, unwavering commitment, and rigorous honesty.Higgins’ reputation as a self-made serial entrepreneur earned him a spot as a recurring guest Shark on the Emmy award-winning TV show Shark Tank during seasons 10 and 11. In 2019, he received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, joining the ranks of seven former US presidents, Nobel Prize winners and other leaders for work to improve society. He is also a longstanding board member of Autism Speaks, advocating for scientific research and greater acceptance of neurodiversity. In 2021, Higgins had a private audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican to discuss human ri

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