What’s in Your Boat?

I’m currently reading a book called That’s Outside My Boat: Letting Go of What You Can’t Control by Charlie Jones and Kim Doren. Charlie Jones was a well-known sportscaster for NBC. In 1996, he was at the Olympic Games in Atlanta and was assigned to cover rowing, canoeing, and kayaking. This was an assignment he was less than thrilled about, as these particular events were not held in Atlanta and were not widely watched.

However, what Jones learned during this assignment was remarkable—so much so that the experience led to his writing a book. Through covering these events, he had the opportunity to better understand these elite athletes and how they mentally approach their sport. Jones recounts interviewing several of the athletes prior to their races and asking them about their approach to the rough conditions of rowing:

What happens if it rains? What do you do if the wind is really strong? What if the water is rough?

To his surprise, all the athletes gave basically the same answer to his questions: “That’s outside my boat.”

Initially, Jones was puzzled by this answer. But as he thought about it more, he came to understand the wisdom and effectiveness of this common strategy amongst these athletes. These competitors had no control over the rain, wind, or current; those factors were all outside their boat. The only thing they had control over was what was inside their boat. The athletes had an incredible ability to focus themselves only on what they could control, and they recognized something that most of us struggle to accept: that which is beyond our control is not worth our time or energy. Obviously, what was happening outside their boat would alter what they did inside. However, the athletes knew that the only way to win and be successful was to focus solely on those things they could control.

We’ve all probably been told before not to worry about what we can’t control. But once this message is linked to such a powerful visual image and the phrase “that’s outside my boat,” it hits home with much greater impact.

Each of us has moments in our careers or lives when we need to direct our efforts “inside the boat,” keeping ourselves focused and on task. Right now, in this moment, what’s outside your boat that you may be focusing your energy and attention on? How can you better focus your energy and attention on the task at hand—inside the boat?

For example, we often become consumed with the future of our relationships and with the reactions of people we cannot control. One thing I’ve struggled with in the past is worrying about what other people think—but if I constantly obsess over what others think, I get lost in the proverbial forest and can’t see the beyond the trees.

By not worrying about what others think (since I can’t control what others think anyway!), I am free to see the big picture.

We would be surprised to learn how little time other people actually spend thinking about us, so why do so many of us worry about this? The unfortunate irony is that though we can spend hours, days, and even years focusing on the strong winds blowing our tiny boats, the winds will not change. We wear ourselves out and have little energy left to row forward. More important, we suck the joy out of rowing and pursuing our goals.

The question we need to ask ourselves is this:

Is what I’m dealing with something that is inside or outside my boat?

If it’s outside the boat, let’s discard the issue. If it’s inside the boat, we then need to focus on how to manage it toward the desired goal or outcome we seek. There are some factors we cannot control at all—but there are always factors that we do have some control over, along with other aspects over which we have complete control. Let’s take control of the things we can control and accept the things we cannot control, always doing our best to stay the course with strength and perseverance.

Let’s live our lives and tackle our careers with the empowering “that’s outside my boat” mantra. I’m ready to focus on what’s inside my boat—how about you?

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