What Keeps You on the Path?

"To Odysseus, who is bewitched by the song, the Sirens look as beautiful as Helen of Troy. To his crew, made deaf with beeswax, the Sirens seem like hungry monsters with vicious, crooked claws."

        Recently a friend described a new meal plan/diet that they are subscribing to. Subscribe here is literal, there is a monthly payment associated with this program that provides prepackaged foods to be consumed each day along with a program for success at weight loss and improved overall health. My initial reaction*, based on a lifetime of low wages, was about the money. I was aghast, I couldn't conceive of paying what, to me, seemed an enormous monthly sum to participate in this plan. I asked myself, ‘How much are you paying for overpriced healthy snacks?!” 

    Thankfully I was able to reframe quickly and stowed my doubts about the cost because what occurred to me was that my friend is not paying for 'overpriced snacks'. They are investing in themselves. And they are doing so by making use of a -hopefully- well-designed pre-articulated support structure at a price that seemed fair to them. They didn't want to talk about money but rather how excited they are about all the success they have had so far. They decided on a system and are literally putting their money where their mouth is to stick to their plan. That's when I had my epiphany moment.

                        They are investing in a well-designed and articulated support structure, 

                        they decided this system would help them stick to their plan!

    The tale of Odysseus and the Sirens is full of lessons waiting to be found. If you are not familiar with the story or want to refresh your memory, use the linked quote at the top of this page. If you're content with the most basic of Cliff's Notes, Homer's protagonist had to endure many struggles (a Road of Trials**) while trying to return home following the Trojan War. In one trial, Odysseus needed to get past an island full of beautiful Sirens that bewitched sailors with enchanting songs. Fortunately, Odysseus was warned ahead of time that the songs are a spell that masks the deadliness of the Sirens' true intentions and terrible forms. By plugging the ears of his crew so they couldn't hear the song, and having them tie him to the mast so he wouldn't be able to go to the Sirens despite the allure of their songs, Odysseus survived the trial.

   

    In particular, I am moved by Odysseus's ability to hear the lesson of Circe, to take the gift of beeswax, and to employ both when the time came. Armed with knowledge and tools, Odysseus envisioned a plan and created a support structure designed to weather the worst of the circumstances that were expected to assail him, and, ultimately, this part of Odysseus’s journey was successful!

            It's important to hear the lessons available to us who are pursuing goals, take the gifts of

       knowledge, tools, and skills, and employ them in creating a supportive structure that plans for the worst! 

    In reading any tale of adventure, it seems so easy for the mythical hero to make all the right choices and triumph in the end. In this tale, what makes Odysseus so heroic to me is that he understands that there are forces outside of his control that will be actively looking to take him off his course and destroy him. He does not blind himself to the temptation of the Sirens. Tied to the mast, he has created restraints against his own inability to resist. The Sirens appear beautiful to Odysseus hearing their song. But his crew, with their ears plugged with beeswax, can see the temptation objectively, the Sirens in their true grotesque forms. Similarly, our crews AKA our support networks can often see the rocks that we might crash against more clearly than we can ourselves. 

    Whether or not you feel the need (or have the means) to invest financially in some kind of program to help achieve your goals, the idea of being handed both a means of accountability and a clear and guided structure is alluring. I have heard it said that goals without plans are just dreams. And while there are many potentially successful paths to attaining one's goals, I believe they all share one element in common,  some kind of structural framework. Either internal or external, these structural frameworks put limits on our path forward, they are often designed to remove the offramps that allow us poor choices in moments of weakness. Don’t get me wrong, moving is better than standing still, but moving in the right direction is better than moving fast. By envisioning a plan, and then creating and employing support structures that foresee our own moments of weakness, we are giving ourselves the best chance for success. 

    My friend is wise, like Odysseus, they know they’re susceptible to the Siren’s song. I recognized that, for them, this investment shows their foresight and self-awareness. They strapped themselves to the mast and, by investing their money this way, they have given the crew permission to keep them there. By subscribing to this system, which for them is not an unbearable economic burden, they have created a powerful tool of structural accountability and increased commitment. I applaud them, knowing that at the end of a successful journey, they will have heard the Siren’s song that would have driven all others mad and yet lived to tell the tale, healthier and happier.

* Internal, I hope!

** I'm already excited about my follow-up blog next week on the idea of the Road of Trials.