Sometimes the only way through something is to know I can’t go back. When things get rough, it’s tempting to bail out and retrace my steps. If there’s a trap door, I’ll most likely take it and regroup. A regroup, and do-over is easy to rationalize. The problem is that a false start leads typically leads to a no-start.

When I figuratively burn the boats then the only way out is through. More often than not, once I’m on the other side, I look back and am grateful I persevered. The struggle also makes the destination even sweeter.

Part of the joy of achieving something hard is that the destination is not something I can read about or hear about from someone else’s experience. The satisfaction is in the doing and the earning.