There’s a story my friend Pasha told me about about a mythic band of magic-loving Irish folk. Feeling the call for newness, they would forge out to settle on a new island. Necessarily, they would make the journey by ship. When they arrived to their next land they would unpack — and then promptly burn their boats.

No desire to go back. Focused forward. New journey, new way of getting there, new results.

Usually we want to do more of what got us to where we are. There is safety in repetition. Familiarity, best practices, proven techniques.

I think the Bright Future craves more daring from us. @DanielleLaPorte (Click to Tweet!)

a testimony to the future

I bless the path that showed itself to me
astute, blind, courageous, clever, faithfully
I forged and floated
to now.
I testify to the utility of all that was then.
I testify to where I now stand: I AM here.
I testify to my capacity to craft
new ways of getting where I want to go.
I am the journey.
I am the path.
I am the destination.

I’m burning the boat that carried me to here in my career. She was a sturdy vessel. A solid muthah. I loved her hard, I carved my name in her mast. We weathered storms. I’m pulling up to a new land of opportunity. I can feel the belly of my boat hitting sand. It’s coming time to swim to shore for fresh fruit, deep deep trust, radiance, relief. I look back at my boat. And I think, Your diligence could come in handy. You’re such a hard worker. I should keep you docked. But I sense my future will require wings instead of sails. Less work, more play. With gratitude, I strike a match.

What boat do you need to burn?

Danielle LaPorte is the outspoken creator of The Desire Map, author of The Fire Starter Sessions (Random House/Crown), and co-creator of Your Big Beautiful Book Plan. An inspirational speaker, former think tank exec and business strategist, she writes weekly at DanielleLaPorte.com, where over a million visitors have gone for her straight-up advice — a site that’s been deemed “the best place on-line for kick-ass spirituality”, and was named one of the “Top 100 Websites for Women” by Forbes.

You can also find her on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter @daniellelaporte.

Image courtesy of Georgie Sharp.