How to strike back and triumph against the odds

By Mark Overbye

“Won’t it be nice, then, if we shall have shade in which to fight them?”- King Leonidas

If you’re going to fight, doing it in the shade is preferable. And it sure seems like a fight in the marine business. High interest rates, reluctant buyers, and political unrest contribute to slower sales and stagnant inventories.

The fight continues. It’s like being rapped on the knuckles every day by devilish teachers. When production, cash flow, and human constraints get put in a vice, joy is stuffed in too. When joy is pressed, passion-testing questions emerge. Am I on the right track? Is there a better way? How long will this last?

In 480 BC King Leonidas also felt overwhelmed. His 300 Spartans faced up to 300,000 Persian warriors in the Grecian Battle of Thermopylae. Facing insurmountable odds he never backed down. He was fighting for his homeland, his way of life, and the values he and his warriors held dear. His inspiration and vision ultimately defined Greek culture to the modern day.

Resolute in his mission, the above quote is drenched in optimism when asked about the sky-darkening waves of Persian arrows coming to kill them. I see a certain sarcasm in King Leonidas’ mindset. Yep, it looks like we’re engulfed. Where did all these other guys come from? Whoa, so many arrows! Hey, they create shade, can’t beat that!

It gets better. When Persian King Xerxes offered a ceasefire if the Spartans would lay down their arms, King Leonidas hailed, “Come and get them!”  

There’s some fire for your belly. Are you going to bloom or get buried? Choosing to fight illuminates the way and makes you stronger in the process. Your hero journey does not include nail-biting on the sidelines. No, it’s unfolding your map with the X on it and fearlessly moving forward. Here’s what distilling this into actionable steps looks like:  

• Dust off your vision for the future, let it spotlight new ways to find solutions.
• Despise conformity, rejecting herd mentality will keep your outlook fresh.
• See challenges as catalysts for clarity, what you do and do not want.

With the right mindset, trouble is not a trap, it becomes a tool. Accepting what is puts you on the path to discovering better solutions. And, keep in mind that your success rate in jumping life’s hurdles is 100 percent.

The marine business has always been seasonal and cyclical, and probably always will be. But there’s hope.  Since the beginning of time, humanity has been enamored with boats and the boating way of life. Can you think of any other activity so embedded in humanity on a global scale? Accordingly, despite YOY roller coaster metrics, boating’s momentum and outlook is bright. Even Wall Street paints a long-term positive future. In the meantime, remember fortune favors the brave, be that to win.

A reflection.

In the spring of 1804, John Colter, a wiry, sharp-eyed frontiersman from Virginia, set out with the Lewis and Clark Expedition to explore the vast, uncharted wilderness of the American West. Born in 1774, Colter had grown up in the untamed frontier, honing his skills as a woodsman, hunter, and tracker. But while Lewis and Clark sought the Pacific, Colter’s destiny lay elsewhere—in the heart of what would become Yellowstone.

By 1806, the expedition had reached the Missouri River on their return journey when Colter encountered two fur traders, Joseph Dickson and Forrest Hancock. Eager to explore further, he secured an early discharge from Lewis and Clark and joined the traders on an expedition into the wilds of the Rocky Mountains. This decision would set him on a path of hardship, danger, and discovery.

Colter roamed the wilderness, trapping beaver along the Yellowstone and Bighorn Rivers. In 1807, he was hired by Manuel Lisa, a powerful fur trader, to guide trappers into the upper Missouri region. That same year, Colter ventured deep into what is now Yellowstone National Park, becoming the first white man to witness its wonders—boiling geysers, steaming vents, and bubbling mud pots. He returned with tales so fantastic that many dismissed them as fabrications, derisively calling the area “Colter’s Hell.”

But Colter’s journey was not without peril. In 1808, while trapping near the Three Forks of the Missouri River, he was ambushed by a war party of Blackfeet warriors. His companion was killed, and Colter was stripped naked and given a grim choice: run for his life. With no weapons and no shoes, Colter sprinted across six miles of open prairie, his lungs burning, his feet torn by rocks and thorns. When he reached the Madison River, he plunged in, hiding beneath a log jam until nightfall. By sheer will and knowledge of the land, he evaded his pursuers and traveled 200 miles barefoot to the safety of Fort Lisa.

This harrowing escape only deepened Colter’s connection to the land. He continued to trap and explore, but by 1810, the constant danger of Native attacks convinced him to leave the mountains for good. He returned to Missouri, married, and became a farmer. His life as a mountain man was over, but the legends of his exploits endured.

John Colter died in 1812, likely from illness, but his legacy lived on. The land he traversed, once dismissed as myth, became Yellowstone National Park in 1872, the world’s first national park. His vision, forged through hardship and survival, revealed the hidden beauty of the American wilderness.

Colter was more than an explorer—he was a man defined by his challenges, one who braved the unknown not for fame, but for the sheer thrill of discovery. His journey through Yellowstone was not merely an expedition but a testament to the power of resilience, vision, and an unbreakable spirit.

Source: https://boatingindustry.com/blogs/2025/03/14/how-to-strike-back-and-triumph-against-the-odds/