Will it Make The Boat Go Faster?

A week or two back we had the privilege of attending an event that Ben Hunt-Davis was speaking at. Ben is an Olympic Gold Medallist from the rowing 8+ Team from Sydney 2000 and author of the book “Will it Make The Boat Go Faster?”

Steve with Ben Hunt-Davis

Amongst other things Ben now speaks at all sorts of events on the basic concept of focussing on a specific goal. In his case the goal was to win Gold and to do that they had to to focus on making the boat go faster.

The extent to which they focussed on this goal was demonstrated by their non-attendance of the Sydney Olympic Games Opening Ceremony. They asked themselves whether missing a meal and standing for 5 hours would make the boat go faster. It wouldn’t make the boat go faster, so they were prepared to sacrifice what would have been a hugely important event for any Olympic athlete. Being slightly less fatigued and better nourished may have been the slight edge that made all the difference. I guess attending the closing ceremony was all the sweeter with a Gold Medal around the neck!

How focussed are we on our goals? How clearly defined are our goals? Do we have a specific deadline? Are we prepared to make sacrifices?

Clearly to excel at anything, something has to give, and Ben’s book “Will it make the boat go faster?” is a brilliant explanation of his commitment, focus and subsequent rewards. It’s a gripping story and highly inspirational.

Thanks to Kleeneze for hosting the event.