What do Free Will and Olympic Rowers have in Common?
Okay, I can’t help it! In this go-round, I am citing yet another great parable passed along to me from my friend, Doug. He sent this around to his network back in 2004, and it was so awesome that I hung on to it all this time. It’s too good not to share it here.
What’s Outside Your Boat?
Charlie Jones* is a sportscaster who covered several Olympic Games in his long career. At the 1996 Atlanta games, he was assigned the rowing, canoeing, and kayaking events – a situation that left him less than thrilled, since it was broadcast at 7am and the venue was an hour’s drive from Atlanta.
Preparing for the broadcast, Jones interviewed the rowers and asked them about conditions such as rain, strong winds, or breaking an oar. Each time the response was the same: "That’s outside my boat."
After hearing the same answer again and again, Jones realized that these athletes had a remarkable focus. In their attempt to win an Olympic medal, he writes, "They were interested only in what they could control…and that was what was going on inside their boat."
Everything else was beyond their control, and not worth the expense of mental energy that would distract them from their ultimate goal. Jones writes that this insight made the event "by far the best Olympics of my life" and changed his thinking in other parts of his life as well.
(*That’s Outside My Boat: Letting Go Of What You Can’t Control, by Charlie Jones, Kim Doren)
"That’s outside my boat" translates to "don’t make it your problem" or "you’re in charge of your attitude" or "it’s how you play the game", etc. Use whatever cliché you wish. It all boils down to the same thing: The only thing you control in this life is your reaction, your response… your attitude. Basically, this is the definition of "free will". You have the free will to choose how you will handle life. You have the free will to choose grace over dramatic resistance. Surrender to that notion and you’ll find peace. Yes! It’s really that simple…
Taking this just a bit further and using the spirit of the rowing theme, let’s ponder the deeper meaning of the childhood rhyme:
Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream / Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily life is but a dream
Translation: Get a grip and put things into perspective. Move as gracefully as possible through this illusion we call life. Oh, and by the way, have a sense of humor while you do it!
