#84: Burning the Ships

One thing I perhaps struggle with is being a bit indecisive. From choosing an ice-cream flavor to deciding on my college major, I have always gotten stuck when considering too many options for far too long/too much. So this blog truly resonates with me because it brings me a sense of peace and trust in myself in regards to my past and current paths of action. In fact, I have burned the ships of two activities this semester that I've always had in my schedule. I felt wrong/guilty about doing so at first, but this blog reassures me of the advantages and value that can come from cutting out options, as sometimes more freedom and clarity equates to new, more meaningful paths to focal points. AND sometimes, just having Chocolate and Vanilla on the menu allows me to focus on better options... like the toppings :) 

Thanks Brinton! 

- Amanda 

Brinton Johns:      brinton.johns@gmail.com  

Burning the Ships

When he reached the New World, Cortez burned his ships. As a result his men were well motivated.  Captain Ramius: The Hunt for Red October

“More options are better than fewer options.”  My kids have heard me say that time after time.  As a general rule, this statement is mostly true — but not always.  Sometimes more options are far worse than fewer options.  Sometimes there's great power in knowing only ONE option exists.  Cortez grasped this truth, as did Captain Ramius.  They used it as motivation to succeed. 

I’ve been out of my traditional job for over a year now, but I’ve left the door open to return.  And for good reason, there are many good people there, doing good things.  BUT, they are just not things that I want to do anymore.  This realization brought Cortez to mind.  Burn the ships.  

Burning the ships doesn’t mean burning relationships or be difficult to get along with, but it does mean taking options off the table.  For me, options I thought were giving me more freedom, turned out to be freedom limiting.  It’s a tricky thing to know when optionality is helping or hindering, but sometimes, we just need to burn the ships. 

As I’ve taken the option of going back to my old job off the table, I’ve noticed subtle shifts that have opened up new pathways to imagining the future.  These have resulted not in less optionality, but in more optionality.  It’s counterintuitive that by limiting our options, we often times increase them.  Focus does that.  

Are there ships that you need to burn?  What fears are standing in your way? 

— Welcome to the New World. . .

Brinton's first-person bio:

After 17 years at Janus Capital, I'm taking a sabbatical.  While at Janus, I served as an analyst, portfolio manager and team leader to an incredibly talented group of technology analysts. My biggest joy is to grow.  My second biggest joy is to watch others grow and play some small part in that growth.