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  • Burn the Boats

  • Toss Plan B Overboard and Unleash Your Full Potential
  • By: Matt Higgins
  • Narrated by: Matt Higgins
  • Length: 7 hrs and 14 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (12 ratings)

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Burn the Boats

By: Matt Higgins
Narrated by: Matt Higgins
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Publisher's Summary

*A WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER!*

Listen to the book that has inspired thousands of people around the world to pursue their Plan A—making bold career moves, launching dream businesses, fleeing toxic relationships, and silencing the naysayers.

Feel like you’re always settling for Plan B? Have big goals but somethingor someoneis holding you back?

There is a counterintuitive but effective strategy used throughout recorded history to overcome impossible odds and achieve breakout success: Eliminate any thoughts of retreat.

In Burn the Boats, you’ll learn:

  • How to break patterns that undermine total commitment (such as imposter syndrome, anxiety, and toxic leadership habits)
  • How science proves that a perfectly crafted plan B saps motivation and diminishes successful outcomes
  • How to achieve financial independence by leveraging the stream of data you consume in your daily life, known as ‘proprietary insights’
  • How to harness the personal power of your pain and shame to turn flaws into your superpower
  • How dozens of the people you admire first burned their own boats before becoming household names

In this gripping rags-to-riches instant classic, Matt Higgins provides the blueprint he used to go from a desperate sixteen-year-old high school dropout caring for his sick mother in Queens, New York, to a shark on Shark Tank. Now a serial entrepreneur with a billion-dollar portfolio of some of America’s most beloved brands, Higgins unpacks the burn-the-boats strategy with raw emotion and radical transparency.

Now translated into numerous languages worldwide, Burn the Boats is the definitive tome on the oldest life hack in history. From Sun Tzu to Tariq ibn Ziyad, the ancient Israelites to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky—when leaders want to motivate their troops for success, they self-sabotage their own retreat so all energy is directed on a singular objective. They burn their metaphorical boats that sow doubt; it’s win or perish, and their unshakable resolve propels them to victory.

But the clarity of crisis decision-making can also be harnessed in our everyday lives. Higgins draws upon extensive research, historical precedent, and dozens of firsthand case studies—from actress-turned-entrepreneur Scarlett Johansson to NFL Coach Rex Ryan—that prove merely contemplating Plan B diminishes the probability of ever achieving Plan A.

Written in the reassuring tone of a mentor and drawing upon Higgins’s experience as a teacher at Harvard Business School, Burn the Boats will carry you through any rough seas on the most exciting journey of your life.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2023 Matthew Thomas Higgins (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

What listeners say about Burn the Boats

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Simply Brilliant

If you are looking for a book to take away the excuses and help you to push forward to achieve everything you never thought you could, this book by Matt Higgins provides that. With great advice from personal experience this book is what you've been looking for to stop making excuses and to start executing. Thanks Matt!

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Great for business advice, better for life advice

I read, listen, pod, and research so many books to look for life or business hacks. It is very me to continually strive to do better at work and life in general, however, I was genuinely touched by the honesty of this book. Matt talks about his struggles and that vulnerability as he goes through the trenches and out the other side made this a joy to read. There are so many real-life examples of names of people he has worked with - some famous, others unfamiliar - but all of the stories had authenticity. There were so many takeaways, but I would say this is one of the best of its kind and totally underrated. If you are a student of life and searching for inspiration, and even more so - practical advice to haul ass, this is a book for you.

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Well worth the listen or read - Be all in!

Well, here is one to put on your list: Burn The Boats by Matt Higgins.
I thoroughly enjoyed it; it just made you think of things differently, and what I found interesting was that we are so used to having a plan "B", you know, the just-in-case we might need it, but I hadn't thought of it as a distraction to the real focus before but rather a just-in-case. So, the all-in or not-in approach encourages daring and boldness. It doesn't mean you don't do your research or homework. It means once you have, it's all in. I hope you enjoy it as well. 😊

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Amazing!

I love this philosophy so much and Matt shared his story beautifully. I’m a new fan. Gary sent me!

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Great book by Matt Higgins

I highly recommend this book. Great insight and learnings. Well read by Matt Higgins himself.

The book gives a good background into his career, while bringing in case studies from other companies.

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A must read!

This book “Burn the boats” is a must read/ listen to!
I’ve been following Matt Higgins for a while now and the way he has written this book is amazing, then on top of that, to hear him reading it. Man that was the cherry on the top!
Matt has already led an extraordinary life and accomplished so much, and he certainly doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon.
I’m looking forward to meeting him one day soon & shaking his hand!
A brilliant read & truly inspirational stuff!
Thank Matt.

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What a disappointment!!

Couldn't keep going. Halfway through this self indulgent book that could, no should, have been a reasonable length blog post. Do not waste your time. It's a pity because the odd nugget is drowned out by the drivel and second hand war stories.

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Couldn't finish it

I'm not sure what this book is meant to inspire, but it just comes across as obnoxious and self important. I did get something out of it though, i listened to the sunk cost fallacy principle and decided that i have had wasted enough time listening to this and i would be better off not finishing it.

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