In 2005, we left our home in The Netherlands. Burned all our ships. And we left for Spain, leaving behind:
• My Special Forces career
• My wife’s successful gift shops
• Our cozy home
– Our entire safety net
None of it came with us.
And we arrived in Spain, with just:
• €1000 monthly income
• Zero Spanish language skills
• A startup dream
• Each other and 2 cats
That’s it.
The “mañana” culture hit us hard. Everything moved slower. Except draining our savings, hahaha.
I remember my wife and me waking up on the fold out coach in the office one morning.
She was hurrying to store our stuff, before the first clients arrived.
Not exactly the romantic Spain adventure we envisioned.
That is when I realised:
“This is it”.
In Special Forces, we called this:
The Point of No Return.
You know that moment, when:
– Your heart races
– Doubt creeps in
– “What if” becomes “what now.”
But here’s what Alexander the Great knew in 334 BC:
When you burn the ships, you remove the option of retreat.
All that’s left is forward.
So we did what SF operators do:
Adapt. Overcome. Push forward.
Here’s how it went for us:
• Company doubled revenue yearly
• Built a life of freedom
• Created our own rules
• Never looked back
Now, 20 years later, I help high-achievers make their own leap.
Just like I took mine.
The lesson for you is embarrassingly simple:
Burning the ships wasn’t the risk.
Believing we could always go back was.
If you’re standing at your own Point of No Return:
Maybe it’s time.
PS: Enjoy this?
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