burning boats...

in 15 years of conquest...

he never lost... not once.

He led with the "burn the boats" mindset...

The true story begins in 334 B.C...

at just 21 years old, Macedonian

born Alexander III would

send a message that would be

heard throughout centuries.

The ruler sailed

his men to the enemy

shores of the Persian Empire...

upon setting foot on foreign land...

undersupplied and outnumbered 5 to 1...

his orders were clear...

"burn the ships"...

demanding severance to

the avenue that would allow

for his men to plan for a potential failure.

His words...

"we will either return home in Persian

ships or we will die here"

This wildly successful battle tactic

would set the tone for centuries to come...

fast forward to June 06, 1944...

the invasion of Normandy...

American, Canadian and British forces

would heroically bombard the heavily

fortified shores of Nazi occupied France...

viewed as an inevitable

success to the allied forces...

they dropped

men throughout the night

behind enemy lines...

every soldier knew...

there was no rescue mission

set aside for them...

it was a clear case of win

or die fighting for freedom...

Today we live in a world

that has approached conflict

with a desire for peace...

but there is an unending war

within all of us...

I believe our lives are defined

by the experiences that

shape our decisions...

the happenings that make us

feel something... to act...

to ensure that the one life

we are given is not looked

back on with regret...

we are a nation...

a world...

a species built on risk...

I feel that every soul is a ship

roaming the open ocean...

and I guess one big question

in life is if or when

you'll burn the boat...

new journals every Sunday.