Margot Shumway
The "t" is silent
Impressions are important. Especially when we want people to like us. Especially when those people have a hand in our future success. Especially when we are working hard to make sure that they are successful in the here and now. Getting caught up in theatrics will only get you so far. People don’t have...
Continue readingIf I had jumped in a boat and immediately started winning races I probably never would have accomplished much in the sport of rowing. I started late. I was always behind. I wasn’t fit. But it made me gritty, angry, and determined. I remember the dismissive things people said about me. I catalogued them...
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People ask me if I miss coaching. When I stopped rowing in 2012 people asked me the same question. Do you miss it? The answer is no. And it sounds weird and harsh to say that but it’s not because I’m callous and don’t care. If I missed coaching or rowing I would still...
Continue readingOn the bus. At lunch. During a boring meeting. Squeeze the words out when and where you can. Like a breast full of milk that becomes stiff if the baby doesn’t nurse, so do we become stiff and immovable if we do not write. Words can bind us up if we don’t get them...
Continue readingIt takes no effort whatsoever to look up make eye contact with someone and say hello. Instead of staring down at the concrete as you’re walking to your bus make an effort look over at the person walking towards you, connect with them, and just say hello. You could even do the little nod...
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Not writing when you feel the need to write is like adding all of the layers of an onion back onto the onion one at a time with super glue. Then the onion becomes much more difficult to peel the next time around. Sometimes you forget about a layer. Sometimes you can’t remember the...
Continue readingWhen I was in first grade I was a major tomboy. Not really a surprise considering I grew up with two older brothers that I was either in competition with, being chased by, or being taught sneaky tricks to win a game. In gym class we would occasionally have a substitute teacher. Most of us...
Continue readingLet’s recount the past three weeks of life as context: car accident resulting in a totaled car and severe whiplash. Missed work. Miss job interviews. Botched spring break for my wife. Fear when driving through intersections on a daily basis. Two ER visits. A torn rotator cuff. Wearing an f-ing sling on my arm...
Continue readingI was listening to an interview with Ryan Holiday today on the James Altucher show and was inspired by the topic of finding value in obstacles. To quote Ryan Holiday “the stoic way is that all of those obstacles are teachable obstacles and they’re valuable obstacles if you let them be so.” As I...
Continue readingI have just two minutes to tell you something. Something that will make clicking on my blog worthwhile. There just isn’t enough time for me to sit down and write a lengthy post about rowing or life or whatever. I only have these two minutes. This is the squeeze. No time. Frantic. Need. Fear....
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