forceit2happen.com

In 210 BC, a Chinese commander named Xiang Yu led his troops across the Yangtze River to attack the army of the Qin dynasty. Pausing on the banks of the river at night, his troops awakened to find, to their horror, that their ships were burning. It was soon discovered that Xiang Yu himself set fire to the ships, and even ordered to have all of the cooking pots crushed.

This totally eliminated any options of retreat or complacency within the troops, and instilled a total sense of urgency and focus inside of them. They had no choice but to fight, or perish. They fought ferociously against the enemy and won nine consecutive battles, completely destroying the opposing ranks.

The commander knew that if he closed all other options for the troops, they would be forced to focus on that which mattered most – fighting as hard as possible for their very lives. Although it is completely contrary to normal human behavior to close doors on options, it creates an incredible sense of focus and motivation knowing there is only one way to go (@startupceo.co.za).