Episode #204- Sometimes you have to Burn the Boats!

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**🎙️ Podcast Show Notes:

Ever stood at one of life’s crossroads, knowing a better path exists but struggling to leave the comfortable one behind? That's exactly the dilemma this episode tackles through the powerful metaphor of "burning the boats." 🔥⛵
 
 The concept traces back to 1519 when Hernan Cortes ordered his men to destroy their ships upon landing in Mexico, eliminating any possibility of retreat. Similarly, in 1776 when George Washington secured every available boat along the Delaware before his famous crossing, preventing British pursuit while ensuring his troops had only one direction to move—forward. These weren't just bold tactical moves; they represent a timeless principle about the power of full commitment. 🎯
 
 For collision repair shop owners facing industry challenges, this principle becomes particularly relevant. Whether it's ending unsustainable DRP relationships, committing to OEM repair procedures and charging correctly for what you do, or investing in EV repair capabilities despite substantial costs, success often requires burning those metaphorical boats. The same applies beyond business—in careers, health journeys, financial decisions, and even personal relationships. Sometimes, progress demands eliminating our backup plans. ⚔️
 
 What makes this approach so powerful? When retreat becomes impossible, we access reserves of creativity, determination, and resourcefulness we didn't know we possessed. 🦏

If you want to take the island, you’re going to have to burn the boats! 🔥

 

Link to Shey Knight’s FenderBender article: https://tinyurl.com/y6tm9fhp

Ready to discover what might be possible when you fully commit? Visit https://rickselover.com/contact/for a free consultation to explore how coaching might help you identify which boats need burning in your professional or personal life.

 

 

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Episode Transcript

Rick (00:00):
going all in with nothing to fall back on no way out.
Victory or death.
Now fast forward to currenttimes.
We very seldom face the victoryor death part, but the concept
of completely committing tosomething without the security
of a backdoor or contingencyplan is what burning the boats
is all about.
The need for collision shopowners and operators to burn the

(00:23):
boats is crucial for theirlong-term survival in this
increasingly challengingindustry.
Listen, you don't have to be abusiness owner to experience
burning the boats.
This can happen in your job oryour career, regardless of how
you make your livelihood, and itcould be as daunting of a
decision as what I justdescribed for shop owners Mind
Wrench.

(01:15):
Hey, what's up everybody?
Welcome to the MindWrenchPodcast.
I'm your host, rick Salo.
Thanks so much for stopping in.
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(01:35):
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I would really, really reallyappreciate your help, sharing
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brand new listener, welcome.
I hope you find something ofvalue here that helps you in
your personal or professionallife as well.
Please make sure to click thesubscribe or follow button so

(01:57):
you never miss another episode.
Recently, I read an article inFender Bender Magazine by Shea
Knight.
It immediately shared with allmy social media circles.
It's a great article and spoton advice for many in our
collision community, but Ididn't even have to read the
piece to know exactly what burnthe boats meant.
For the past five years, I'vebeen involved in a mastermind

(02:19):
group and virtually mentored bysome of the best entrepreneurs
and motivational, inspirationalfolks in the business, many that
have set and achievedunbelievable goals, faced major
turning points in their lives orstarted almost completely
impossible business venturesexperiences that most of us will
never face.
I can't count how manyreal-life stories shared by Tony

(02:40):
Robbins or Ed Milet, orsituations where Dean Graziosi
explained how they had to burnthe boats to move forward in
their business or in their lives.
Shea started this article withthe fact that in 1519, spanish
conquistador Hernan Cortes madea decision that changed history.
After landing in Mexico withhis crew, he gave an unthinkable

(03:02):
order burn the boats.
With no means of retreat,cortes left his men with one
option move forward and conqueror perish.
A little bit closer to home,back in 1776, our first US
President, george Washington,did something equally as brazen
that most don't know about.
But he didn't actually burn hisboats.

(03:23):
He figuratively burned theBritish boats by stealing them
before crossing the Delaware.
So the story goes late 1776,the American cause was in a
terrible state.
After a string of defeats inNew York, george Washington and
his Continental Army were infull retreat, hounded across New
Jersey by the British.
His army was small, demoralizedand on the verge of collapse.

(03:45):
Many shoulders and listmentswere set to expire at the end of
the year and desertion wasrampant.
Morale could not get any lower.
Washington, knowing his army wastoo weak to face the British in
a conventional fight, led hisremaining troops across the
Delaware River into Pennsylvaniain December.
To prevent the British fromfollowing him in capturing
Philadelphia, washington orderedhis men to confiscate every

(04:09):
available boat along theDelaware.
This was a critical strategicmove.
He collected and secured afleet of various vessels,
including large flat-bottomedfreight boats known as Durham
boats.
This action not only denied theBritish the means to cross the
river, but also providedWashington with the
transportation he would need fora surprise attack.
Now, with his army's futurehanging in the balance,

(04:31):
washington devised a daring plana surprise attack on the
Hessian garrison at Trenton, newJersey, on Christmas night.
Now, the Hessians, germanmercenaries hired by the British
.
These were some mean, terriblebastards.
They were known for theirdisciplines, but were not
expecting an attack during theholiday season.
On the night of December 25th,so Christmas night 1776,

(04:53):
washington's troops began theirfamous crossing of the Delaware
River.
The crossing was a monumentalchallenge.
A severe winter storm broughtfreezing rain, sleet and snow.
The river was choked with iceand the currents were
treacherous.
Under the command of ColonelHenry Knox, the troops, horses
and artillery were ferriedacross in the Durham boats.
The crossing was slow andgrueling, taking far longer than

(05:17):
planned.
Despite the harsh conditionsand the delay, the element of
surprise was maintained becausethe Hessians believed that the
weather made an attackimpossible and, after arduous
nine-mile march, washington'sforces launched their attack on
the morning of December 26th.
Very early in the morning.
They caught the Hessianscompletely off guard, quickly

(05:37):
overwhelming them.
The American victory wasdecisive, with nearly a thousand
Hessians captured and manykilled or wounded, while the
American losses were veryminimal.
The Battle of Trenton, followedby another victory at Princeton
a week later, was a majorturning point in the war.
It restored American morale,encouraged new enlistments and
proved that the Continental Armywas capable of victory.

(05:59):
It cemented Washington'sreputation as a brilliant
military leader and kept thecause of independence alive and
well.
Pretty badass, huh.
That's a great example of whatthat phrase means Going all in
with nothing to fall back on, noway out.
Victory or death.
Now fast forward to currenttimes.

(06:20):
We very seldom face the victoryor death part, but the concept
of completely committing tosomething without the security
of a backdoor or contingencyplan is what burning the boats
is all about.
The need for collision shopowners and operators to burn the
boats is crucial for theirlong-term survival in this
increasingly challengingindustry.
If you're looking for acompetitive edge for your

(06:43):
business or a more effectivejumpstart to your personal
development, I'll make yourfirst step super simple.
It is a fact that an incrediblenumber of the most successful
business owners, nearly half ofthe Fortune 500 companies,
top-earning professionalathletes, entertainers and
industry leaders likeMicrosoft's Bill Gates, former
President Bill Clinton, oprahWinfrey, richard Branson,

(07:04):
amazon's Jeff Bezos andSalesforce's Mark Benioff all
have one thing in common theyall have at least one coach and
some have several that they workwith on a consistent basis,
someone that helps guide, mentorand support them, challenge
them, help them set and achievegoals that move them forward and
then hold them accountable tofollow through, driving personal

(07:24):
and professional growth.
Working with a coach has manysubstantial benefits.
Just for an example, 80% ofcoaching clients report improved
self-esteem or self-confidencethanks to coaching.
99% of individuals andcompanies that hire a coach
report being very satisfied and96% would do it again.
If, deep down, you know it'stime to make those improvements

(07:45):
in your business, your personallife, that you've kicked down
the road year after year.
If you're tired of knowingthere's a better version of you
waiting to shine, but unsure ofhow to bring that version to
light.
If you're tired of wanting toenjoy a more successful business
but not sure how to start.
And if you don't want to goanother 12 months without better
results but you don't want togo it alone, then take the first

(08:06):
step.
It's super simple.
Sometimes talking to the rightperson can make all the
difference.
Go to wwwrixelovercom contactand I'll set you up with a free
consultation.
Call with me to see ifone-on-one coaching is right for
you, whether it's leaving adecades old DRP relationship
that doesn't serve your businessanymore, deciding that OEM

(08:28):
repair procedures and using onlyfactory OEM parts are now
mandatory at your shop, to notonly protect the safety of your
customers but protect yourempire from lawsuits.
To stop the painful practice ofgiving away labor.
To keep the peace with theinsurance carriers you deal with
and start charging correctlyfor all the procedures and

(08:48):
materials used on each repair,regardless of who has to pay the
customer or the carrier.
To protect the integrity ofyour valued assets, your
technicians.
Or maybe stop dabbling and justgoing all in on EV repairs,
despite the cost of equipmentand the training needed, even
something that many owners feellike the most personal boat

(09:09):
burner, leaving a jobber orchanging out a paint company
they've been dealing with foryears that no longer brings any
tangible value to thepartnership, to a new vendor
that truly works hard, isinvolved in solutions and brings
needed change to the shop thatcould help them reach that next
level success.
Now, believe me, in my 32 yearsin the jobber business, I've

(09:36):
been on both ends of this changeand it can be one of the
toughest, most emotional boatsto burn for a majority of body
shop owners.
I've seen some that have lostsleep, experienced physical
distress and lost employees overa decision like this.
The decision to actually sellyour shop or close the doors
after decades of building abusiness, a personal legacy,
creating long-term relationshipswith customers, employees and
your community, can beabsolutely gut-wrenching and

(09:59):
seem like the end of the world.
But burning that boat can bethat one thing that propels you
to the next phase of your lifethat you need to get to Listen,
you don't have to be a businessowner to experience burning the
boats.
This can happen in your job oryour career, regardless of how
you make your livelihood, and itcould be as daunting of a
decision as what I justdescribed for shop owners.
Jumping from a job or a careerwhere you know what you're doing

(10:21):
and how to make money into adifferent industry or even
starting a new business of yourown requires the same commitment
to burn that old boat ofcomfort zone.
I saw this many times withinthe mastermind group I'm part of
seeing folks give up thesecurity of income at their jobs
, you know, with their kneesknocking, their stomach churning
, their head spinning Maybe thisis the only way to provide for

(10:42):
their families Giving all thatup and starting a new gig from
scratch with no guarantee ofsuccess.
This is a true expression ofburning the boats.
But it's not just business orcareer related.
There are many areas of ourlives where we consciously
commit to hard change with noplan B right In our physical

(11:02):
health, when things just get toofar out of hand.
We can't seem to lose thatstubborn excessive weight, no
matter what diet we try or whatexercise we do.
We finally make that hardchoice to throw out all the food
in our house, get our stomachsstable, commit to a rigorous
exercise plan with a paidtrainer to hold us accountable
or maybe we can't stop drinking.

(11:23):
We actually commit ourselves toa 30 or 60 day rehab drying out
program.
Roast the robots right.
Our financial health can be atotal mess when we're trying to
manage things we don't evenreally understand, like our
investments.
Where we dabble with stocks orbitcoin or mutual funds, only
never really gaining any ground.
All the while our overwhelmingdebt continues to climb, we

(11:46):
finally decide to spend themoney, hire a professional
financial planner and tax expertto put all our money concerns
into the right hands.
It takes some faith, takes someguts, takes some humility.
Lastly, but certainly equally asimportant, is the fact that
we're a social species.
Human relationships are anessential part of our lives, but

(12:06):
not all relationships remainpermanent, right.
Sometimes the friendships orrelationships we build have
varying shelf lives, don't they?
Some people we know for a shortperiod of time, some for a
season and some for a lifetime.
But knowing when a relationshipis no longer serving both sides
or has become unhealthy or eventoxic for us is when we need to

(12:26):
once again burn the boats.
Walking away from along-standing friendship, ending
an unfulfilling, dysfunctionalmarriage or separating yourself
from part of your family that'sextremely toxic can seem
overwhelming just to think about, let alone following through on
.
But committing to cutting thoseties and burning those boats,
you probably already know thisis your one-way ticket to peace

(12:48):
of mind, relief, sanity,personal growth and the better
quality of life you know youdeserve.
So, as we wrap up thisconversation, whether we are
burning the boats in ourbusiness, our jobs or our
careers and our own physical,mental or emotional health,
making those hard-line decisionsin our financial situation or

(13:09):
personal relationships.
The cold hard facts are thatit's not easy.
It's not without severerepercussions.
These are very difficultcommitments to make and we'll
test our willingness to followthrough and not just give up,
cut and run when it gets veryuncomfortable.
But the payoff is we advance,we make major improvements in

(13:29):
our lives, we climb to that nextlevel we are destined to reach
and we just strike the match andburn the boats.
Well, that's all I had for youtoday.
Thanks again for tuning in.
I really appreciate yoursupport and I hope you have a
great week.
I can always be reached atwwwrickselovercom, where you can
find all my social media linkspodcast episodes, blog posts and

(13:52):
much more Outro.
Music.