Good morning,
Yesterday, I took a much-needed day to myself at a beautiful lodge in McCall, Idaho.
I spent the two-hour drive in the Idaho mountains processing my thoughts.. problem-solving open loops that I hadn’t had the time to work through.. and just thinking…
The drive itself was therapeutic.
I arrived at the lodge around 7am and for the next ten hours, I sat in a comfy chair next to a window that overlooked the lake. I worked on a number of projects and because of the lack of distraction (with the exception of the view), I was productive AF.
Around 5p, I started to wrap up my work and I spent the next hour mentally decompressing as I stared off at scenic views, sipping on a delicious Old Fashion.
After grabbing some dinner at the restaurant, I sat in the jacuzzi and met a cool young couple who had married the day prior. I told them I’ve been married over 17 years and together with my wife for over 20.
Then they asked me, “So what advice do you have for us?”
I thought that was a cool question…
My reply, “Take divorce off the table right now and in everything you do in life, Burn the Boats”.
They hadn’t heard that saying before so for the next thirty minutes, we talked about what it meant and how my wife and I approach family, life, business, health, and all other things with a Burn the Boats mindset.
The young couple was fascinated by the conversation, and it was really cool to be part of turning some important light bulbs on in their minds.
After the conversation, I told the two love birds that I would let them have the hot tub to themselves and that I’d put a sock on the gate handle to let everyone else know it was occupied… They laughed and expressed their gratitude.
So here are the two points I’d like to share and have you consider…
One, Mental health days are important to take. I can’t tell you the last time I stepped away for an entire day with the intention of mental decompression, and gave myself the space and permission to just sit with my thoughts and process through them.
If it’s been a while since you’ve taken a mental health day, get one on your calendar within the next 30 days.
Two, Have a Burn the Boats mindset in everything. Life has a way of introducing chaos, unforeseen circumstances, and stressful situations. Without having a Burn the Boats mindset, you will be tempted to abandon goals, change course to something easier, and, in some cases, waive the white flag and give up.
A Burn the Boats mindset means that you are unwilling to accept anything other than victory. It means you will stop at nothing until victory is achieved. And when times get really shitty, a Burn the Boats mindset will create the brute force strength to persevere.
I hope you have a kickass week!
LFG,
Matt
