Some things in life are easier if you’ve got a coach running beside you, giving you encouragement and pushing you all the way through the finish line. This is my role as coxswain for the morning rowing team’s practice. I’m not the heart, but I put a voice to the beat, increasing it’s pulse when necessary. We all share the same heart when out on the water; we all want to win.
During spring races (1000 meters), I need to have 3.5 – 4 minutes of motivating phrases to keep the rowers’ heads in the boat, pushing them through the course, and inspiring them to believe in themselves. From start to finish, they have to know they’re number one.
Three weeks and counting till our first regatta. Three weeks for me to find my voice. Learning how to be successful at this has required a steep, and ongoing, learning curve. The rowers and coaches have been amazing helping me develop this vocabulary, inspiring me and keeping my focused. Like the rest of the team who watched the videoof George Washington stomping Navy at a regatta on Sunday, May 5, 2013. My two favorite calls (like the rest of the team’s) are, “curb stomp ten,” and, “blackout ten.”
Imagine if we had a coxswain, following us around, pushing us to pursue our dreams, stay on task, and accomplish our goals. That level of motivation mixed with comradery is invaluable for any team whether it’s a sports team or an office working group. But that’s not realistic for every situation. It’s important to keep your own internal voice repeating, “yes you can,” or, “blackout ten,” when the going get’s rough.
Like everyone, I’m guilty of this. Sometimes my dreams feel too big, I’m too small, and don’t have enough experience to accomplish them. And that internal motivating voice gets drowned out by my own self-doubt. Just like when I’m running a 5K, I need to remember the the finish line is within my reach, that I do have the capacity to succeed. I’m working with my internal coxswain to remind me I can finish my book; I can start a non profit; and I can successfully cox a boat into first place at a regatta.
At a point in the near future, I see myself sitting in my bathtub, like in the 1993 film Cool Runnings, with my iPad and the GW race playing on mute, working on my own calls. (My neighbors are going to love me.) I want some epic ones, ones my rowers will be inspired by and request again.
But I need some epic ones for myself as well. True, I probably won’t sit in my bathtub practicing, “take ten for writing.” My neighbors will definitely think I’ve lost it then. Editing my mom’s leadership book, working on a chapter focused on motivation, reminded me that we have to be our own champion. Motivation is invaluable for any situation. You can’t always wait for someone to run along side of you and make you believe in yourself. In good and bad times, you have to be the voice that drives you forward and propels you through the finish line.
I have all summer to hone my coxing skills before we travel to Belgium to compete in the World OutGames. There, we’ll compete against teams from all over the world, with rowers and coxswains who are just as dedicated as the men and women I row with in the mornings. Every morning, I see their heart and their willingness to lay it all on the line, to unite under a common goal of success. Together, we progress.
Too often, I think we settle for mediocrity. We’ve been told we’re not good enough and that becomes our inner voice. We bide our time, days, weeks, and years pass by. Our routine becomes monotonous and we allow our dreams to slip away because we think, “someone better, more talented, with more experience will be a better fit to do it instead.” Let me be your coxswain. Take one step, then another, and by the fifth step you’ll find your stride. Be an inspiration. Be your inspiration. Look yourself in the mirror and tell yourself that you’re not going to let you down, then keep that mantra on repeat. Learn to be your own coach and your biggest fan.
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