Maria Halavrezos | Sportscene - While many paddle-sport fans have enjoyed watching Adam van Koeverden tear through the water at the Olympic Games, TEDx Algonquin offers us a chance to see Adam in a much more laid-back atmosphere, speaking on a subject with which we can all assume he is quite familiar – Hard Work.

“Chop wood, carry water” is the title of the talk given by Adam in the video below, referencing the hard work put in by both Adam and his brother during the clearing, building and maintaining of van Koeverden’s cabin located in Ontario’s Algonquin park. Kayaking never becomes the primary example of Adam’s feelings towards hard work in the video, during which he instead focuses on the value and “intangible wealth” earned by completing banal tasks at his cabin site such as carrying water, tasting a bagel that has been toasting over a fire, or clearing garbage off the property. His message is clear and simple: Hard work creates value.

While Adam does give hard work in the athletic sense a few nods, his talk is relatable on a much more general level. In van Koeverden’s view, the effects of one’s own hard work do not only exist in measurements such as numbers of medals, or how long it takes to complete 1000-metres; they extend to our relationships, happiness and well-being.

So have a look at the video below – whether it inspires you to build a cabin in the woods or drop down and do some push-ups is up to you. I think it will do some good to apply the thinking in Adam van Koeverden’s talk to your training routine and/or elsewhere!

Read and watch also this TEDx Talk "The red thread to glory with Olympic golden medallist Etienne Stott".