Ulysses PactUlysses PactUlysses Pact No Going Back; pain is linked both to failure and inaction. The only path is forward. ^definition Burn The Ships: To cut oneself off from all chance of retreat; to stake everything on success. Cortez, when he arrived in South America, burnt all the ships so there was no way back for the men. He made fear their friend. If you embrace the fact that it's more terrifying to fail than it is to succeed, you will achieve some insane things. -- Mark Adams, The Cult of Productivity Inst

No Going Back; pain is linked both to failure and inaction. The only path is forward. ^definition

Burn The Ships: To cut oneself off from all chance of retreat; to stake everything on success.

Cortez, when he arrived in South America, burnt all the ships so there was no way back for the men. He made fear their friend. If you embrace the fact that it's more terrifying to fail than it is to succeed, you will achieve some insane things. -- Mark Adams, The Cult of Productivity

Instances

• Making a public promise to do something.
• Prepaying for lessons
• Prepaying for an event (Tough Mudder)
• When the physician and author Oliver Sacks was working on his first book, about migraines, he got stuck. A ferocious Writer's Block clamped down. Finally, in desperation, he gave himself an ultimatum: “Oliver, you have ten days to finish this or else you’re going to kill yourself.”
  • He said it so convincingly he actually kind of believed it. He started writing in terror. He finished in nine days.

Be Your Own Villain

• it is only once the hero encounters unavoidable extreme hardships that they are able to sharpen their blade to the degree that they can earn the title of hero
• many actors mention being absolutely dead broke and completely resolving themselves to never be that way again, and it was only at sharpened resolve to tell them where they are today
• but today's world is too safe; no evil is coming to burn down your village and give you a divine quest
• in order to reach that greatness one most overcome extreme hardships.
• we don't do what we would like to do, we do what we must do
• where would Hercules be without his trials
• if today's world is too soft, too stingy to gift you a villain in order to give your life purpose, perhaps you must make your own
• push yourself somehow or some way so that the only way forward is up out of it. no rest, no quarter.

See Also

• An Experiment With Extreme Productivity
• How to Force Yourself to Learn Stuff - YouTube
• Quitters Inc.
• Tie Yourself to The Metaphorical Mast