The O’Toole Chronicles: Kelsey’s Journey

We recently witnessed an incredible accomplishment by an incredible woman, Kelsey Pfender, and after seeing what Kelsey pulled off, the rest of us seem like quintessential couch potatoes.

For those who missed it, Kelsey set out from Monterey, California, to become the first American woman to row 2,400 miles to Hawaii. If successful, Kelsey would also become the youngest and fastest to accomplish this nearly unthinkable feat. In the end, Kelsey not only shattered the female record of 86 days, but she also shattered the male record of 52 days, as recorded by the Rowing Society and the Guinness World Records.

Let’s think about this staggering accomplishment.

For more than 40 days, Kelsey battled relentless waves, powerful currents, exhaustion, isolation, and the mental strain of being alone for 40-plus days. Kelsey said afterward that she slept one hour a day during the early legs of the journey and later allowed herself the luxury of 4 hours of sleep per day, in 2-hour increments. And we complain if we don’t get our 7 hours of sleep.

Most of us can’t keep a promise for a day or a resolution for 40 days. Imagine rowing for 40 days in the middle of the ocean to keep a commitment.

This feat shows us what greatness and sheer determination look like. This is perseverance personified—a lesson for us all.

This is about pushing through the hard stuff when you are tired, discouraged, and feel like giving up.

When you are alone in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, you don’t have a choice. It is time to burn the boats and be unwavering in your will to succeed. Success belongs to those who continue to put the oars in the water, even when every cell in their body is telling them to stop.

While many of us make excuses that we are too busy, too tired, too old, or not ready to accomplish our next goal, people like Kelsey show us that we can do anything we put our minds to.

Kelsey didn’t do this overnight; she conquered one step at a time. One stroke at a time. One sunset at a time. One sunrise at a time. Despite the life-threatening storms, 30-foot waves, sharks, and hardships, she was determined not to quit. The Pacific Ocean became Kelsey’s proving ground. And this performance reminds us that we all have oceans to cross.

For some, it’s starting a new career. For others, it is repairing a relationship, improving their health, mentoring a young person, or simply becoming the person you always wanted to be.

Kelsey has done more than row to Hawaii; she raised the bar for all of us. Her voyage reminds us that the greatest limitations are often the ones we impose upon ourselves. Those who accomplish the impossible simply refuse to accept the word impossible.

The next time we find ourselves saying, “I can’t,” perhaps we should remember that Kelsey has taught us that the distance between where we are and where we want to be is almost always measured in determination, discipline, and the courage to keep rowing or moving forward.

Congratulations, Kelsey, and thank you for reminding us that if we are willing to commit ourselves as completely to our own dreams and stay the course, we too can accomplish anything we set out to accomplish.