#Resourcefulness

Character Measured by How We Use Resources

The quote becomes even sharper when “what we have” includes setbacks. Adversity often removes comforting narratives and exposes what remains: resilience, creativity, or avoidance. Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning (1946) similarly argues that while we cannot always control conditions, we can choose our response—an idea that aligns closely with Lombardi’s action-based measurement. In practice, this might look like an athlete adapting training after injury, a caregiver finding structure amid exhaustion, or a student seeking support rather than surrendering to shame. Scarcity does not erase agency; it clarifies it. [...]

Taking Action When Conditions Won’t Cooperate

Of course, not all rowing is equal, and the quote subtly invites discernment: which oars actually move the boat? In practical terms, this means translating a blocked plan into specific, controllable substitutes—if funding dries up, cut scope and ship a prototype; if permission is delayed, gather data and draft the proposal; if inspiration is absent, follow a routine and produce drafts. The transition here is from determination to strategy. Rowing is effort with direction, not frantic activity. Syrus’ image reminds us to select actions that create leverage—skills, relationships, iterations—so that when the wind returns, we are not merely ready, but already moving. [...]

Resolve That Finds a Way Forward

Still, “make one” can be read as permission to bulldoze, so it benefits from moral and practical guardrails. Making a way responsibly means creating solutions without harming others, breaking trust, or sacrificing health to prove a point. Otherwise, determination becomes recklessness, and the “way” is purchased with debts that later collapse the achievement. A more grounded interpretation is to treat obstacles as design constraints: you can be relentless about the goal while being flexible—and principled—about the means. That balance preserves the quote’s fire while preventing it from becoming a justification for destructive shortcuts. [...]

Learning Creative Abundance Through Scarcity’s Lessons

Still, scarcity can trigger fear, which narrows attention and makes creativity harder. The classroom metaphor implies a psychological pivot: staying curious enough to experiment even when stakes feel high. This resembles what psychologists describe as cognitive reappraisal—changing the interpretation of a situation to change its emotional impact (Gross, 1998). When fear loosens its grip, experimentation becomes possible: trying a cheaper tool, learning a new skill, swapping services, or prototyping solutions. That sense of “play” isn’t naïve; it’s strategic. It helps the mind generate alternatives, which is exactly how scarcity can end up teaching abundance—by multiplying possibilities. [...]

Turning Tools into Bridges Across Gaps

Finally, the metaphor widens from self-help to responsibility. If tools can become bridges for “small hands,” then those with larger hands—greater privilege, wealth, knowledge, or authority—can help lay planks and reinforce supports. Keller, who later advocated for disability rights and social reform, frames ability as something that can be shared through design and care. The closing implication is both tender and demanding: don’t wait for the gap to shrink. Build something that lets people cross now—one tool, one adaptation, one act of guidance at a time. [...]

Creating Beauty Now With What You Have

At the same time, the quote widens the meaning of beauty beyond conventional art. Beauty becomes any act that brings coherence, care, or meaning into the world: arranging secondhand furniture into a welcoming room, cooking a modest meal with attention, or writing a few honest lines in a notebook. Murakami’s own fiction often finds wonder in the ordinary—cats, jazz records, simple running routines in *What I Talk About When I Talk About Running* (2007). In that spirit, beauty is no longer a grand, distant achievement; it is a pattern of small, deliberate gestures woven into daily life. [...]

If There Is a Will, There Is a Way

It highlights the idea that strong willpower and resolve can help individuals overcome any challenges or difficulties that might arise on their path. [...]