Row Your Own Canoe

We all have our worries and fears—our bugs and programming. And it’s alright. It’s not about fixing or correcting others. It’s about figuring out how you work. What it is you want.

Often, I say the why matters, but it doesn’t. The why is so that when things get tough, you still have direction. But maybe once things get tough, you’re okay with changing direction. What matters most is snapping out of this blanket experience: If people around me are sad, then I must be sad. If people around me have certain values, then I too must have them. If I like the cheesecake but others don’t, then the cheesecake isn’t that good. Why?

There are no rules regarding what works for you. There are laws of nature and society, but within these, there’s lots of room to play. A client has less work, so there will be less money. If I don’t work hard, I won’t earn as much. Whose rules are these? And if you enjoy working hard, then what’s wrong with working hard?

Perhaps it’s not about sharing a boat in life but realizing we’re all in our own little canoes. While, morbidly, we’re all heading in the same final direction, we can choose who we row with. We can take different turns. What works for us doesn’t have to work for anyone else. As long as it works for us—and we embrace it while letting others do things their way—perhaps we can enjoy this river of life a bit more authentically.