The Boys in the Boat

I just watched the movie, THE BOYS IN THE BOAT. I wasn’t familiar with the story. However, I admire the sport & love the culture. We’ve had several athletes from OKCHPC work with us at EÔTÉ COFFEE. You will never outwork anyone who rows.

What spoke to me in the movie was how the eight guys in the boat had so many things going against them before they ever tried out for the team. Even then, they were over looked and underestimated. When they began to experience success, they were still undervalued.

What made them successful wasn’t the boat. It wasn’t the individual. Wasn’t their history. Wasn’t their pedigree. Wasn’t their success or past failures.

What made this crew successful was the eight guys in the boat. It was all the grit, blood and blisters in unfavorable conditions. The experience forged these eight individuals into one. Like the movie said, “it was poetry as much as it was sport.”

It made me think, who am I in the boat with in life? Who are the seven other guys who make me better? Who make all of us better?

You can row a single. But you are alone. Alone is lonely because it all depends solely on you. The boat of eight is a team. A community. A culture.

Don’t go it alone in life. You may go fast, but you won’t go far.

Find your boat.

Find your group that brings value to the team, that makes each other better. The team is so much greater than the sum of the individuals.

Row against all the odds and be amazed how far you go…when you go together.