The Boat Rows Both Ways
“The only thing you deserve is the opportunity to compete.”
-Anon
Ask someone to mimic rowing a boat. Nine out of ten show you a forward rowing motion- we move how we’re taught.
People are capable of amazing things, but we also carry this built-in survival mechanism. Homeostasis: the compulsion to return to the path of least resistance. Familiar and safe because breaking stride draws too much attention. The devil you know.
When we do see boats row the opposite way, it’s almost always in settings like the Olympics or Ivy League schools. Environments engineered for performance. Not comfort.
Is that why most people instinctively mime forward rowing? Has rowing backwards been subconsciously coded as “not for people like us”. Instead, reserved for the elite of society with the right surnames and social standings. Class-based imposter syndrome.
Or is it a survival mechanism? A silent agreement to choose captivity over uncertainty. Choosing to be watched, fed yet protected in a zoo over being hunted, hungry but free in a jungle.
What builds cages
Age and experience scream from both ends of the spectrum.
Too old to change/Too young to understand.
Youth becomes a liability—disguised as naivety.
Adulthood becomes an excuse—disguised as wisdom. Prison guards for a cell with no lock.
Culture, upbringing and religion.
The inherited voices of parents, teachers, communities.
"People like us don’t do that."
"Stay in your lane."
“Be humble”
It’s not hate. It’s love wrapped in fear.
But love that strangles kills just the same.
The Gap
“Personal agency. Extreme ownership. No one’s coming to save you.”
Overused terms that have become the mantra of the outlier. The modern stoic. But true, nonetheless.
Yes, some people are born into better positions. The start line isn’t equal. Gender, ethnicity, geography, surnames? The reality is these things matter. But equality is a romantic notion written by those with full bellies. The only thing any of us truly deserve is the opportunity to compete. And though these things may determine where we start the race, they don’t decide where we end.
We either feel sorry for ourselves in the coziness of the zoo or risk our place in the food chain of the jungle.
Self-pity has ruled more days than anyone wants to admit. It's seductive. It feels justified. But it’s a leash that gets tighter the longer it's worn.
The outlier doesn’t operate from entitlement or scarcity. They operate from hunger paired with the cold understanding that no one is coming.
They row whatever way gets them to the finish line. Against the grain, their upbringing, even biology. Because the jungle has no roadmaps.
They hit walls. Crippling periods where growth feels impossible. They row anyway. Not from fear of failure, but from fear of standing still.
The Outlier
“If we are not the sovereign of our own psyche, then what are we the sovereign of ?”
—Graham Hancock
It isn’t wealth, medals or accolades that make the outlier. The outlier has many faces and the decision to choose their own is what sets them apart. To break stride with rhythm and to risk being the hunted.
Build an empire. Work a 9 to 5. Raise kids . Create art.
None of it matters besides living your ONE life on your terms. Owning decisions, no matter the outcome. Choosing agency over caution because you accept no borders.
There are no rules bar the ones we accept and impose. No tables we can’t sit at and rooms we can’t enter. Class imposter syndrome doesn’t exist if you stay in the race and compete.
The boat rows both ways.
In all directions.
Pick one.
