Burn the boats

Weekend reflections from Kuwait & Bahrain.
Third time here, but this one was different — the theme was catching up with local friends. Arguably the best perk of being part of this Wander Fam.

We talked about those moments in life when you know it’s time for a change — a career shift, a big decision, that shot you’ve been holding back from taking.

And I shared the same advice I’ll give you now.

It took me years to quit my job, even though I knew I was miserable. In the end, I only took the leap when my boss buried me in corporate bullshit and politics. Suddenly, the worst case scenario became staying there.

The other tipping point was founding Wander Expeditions — not out of courage, but from a pandemic that erased all alternatives.

Both moments had something in common: I had no Plan B.
Only when I had nothing to lose did the vision become crystal clear.
Alternatives create noise — the endless cycle of reevaluating and replanning.

“Burn the boats.”
An expression coined by many generals in history, but most famously by Hernán Cortés, the Spanish conquistador and father of Mexico. Upon arriving on its shores, he ordered his men to burn their ships — leaving no way back, no escape. Only forward.

Block the noise.
Trust your gut.
Burn the boats.

You’ll succeed, because you have no other possibility.