1. Mental toughness Vs motivation
Motivation is all well and good, but when you’re 62 days into rowing 2 hours on, 2 hours off, you need more than a first flurry of excitement or some inherent fitness to keep you going. One of the rowers, Helen, commented, “It was hard at night when you got the knock on the hatch and you knew you had to get up and row… again”.
So when the will to get over the finish line started to wane, the Rows developed coping strategies and leaned on their amazing team to get them through – and get through they did.
Like Paul said, “They showed that successfully achieving a goal is, in almost any discipline, more about mental toughness and determination than it is about ability”.
2. Ordinary people can do extraordinary things
Meeting the Yorkshire Rows, you’re instantly struck by how down to earth and normal they are – not the semi-superhuman athletes we expected. And if people so normal can do something as ludicrous as rowing an ocean, what’s to stop you or I doing it?
As Joe said, “It really shows how, if you put your mind to it and really want to do something, it’s never beyond your reach.”
3. It’s ok to do something for yourself
The talk raised questions around family and identity. Deciding to leave your family for 2 months and to do something that’s completely for yourself is a tough decision. Asking others to put themselves out to accommodate your dream is huge – but potentially hugely worthwhile, too.
It really struck a chord with Kirsty, a mum of two lovely little ones, who commented: “These women all had lives and families, yet they did something that right now would make me feel immensely selfish. They did something that was for them and them alone. And that’s not a criticism of them at all, it says more about me. They found the strength to say YES, and convince everyone to help them make it happen.”