Pushing Against Futility

Finding Sisyphus — spotting unengaged team members - Chris Rudram ...

In Greek mythology, there is an evil and deceitful character named Sisyphus who angers the gods with his unforgivable deeds. Eventually, Zeus punishes him by forcing Sisyphus to push a boulder up a steep mountain. Every time it neared the top, the boulder would slide back down, forcing Sisyphus to begin the process all over again. Zeus cursed him to labor in this hopeless and futile task for all eternity.

Sometimes you may feel like Sisyphus, intensely laboring in tasks that slide backward leaving you with a feeling of futility. No matter how hard you work, things just seem to roll back to how they were. Maybe it’s a struggle in a relationship, and regardless of how much kindness and love you show, that person responds negatively. Perhaps it’s a project or proposal at work that seems to have gone nowhere despite tremendous energy and effort. It could be the seemingly endless sacrifices you are making to get in shape, but your weight loss has stalled out anyway. Maybe it’s those darn kids who seem so entitled and selfish even though you have modeled selfless sacrifice (not speaking from experience, of course). It could be tirelessly striving for a degree you haven’t been able to use because no one is hiring.

The list could go on and on, but the point is, you have probably felt like Sisyphus as times: cursed by the gods and no matter how much effort you devote, it all seems fruitless in the end. But what if it was never about the boulder? What if it was never about changing the position of the rock, but changing who you are in the process of pushing? What if the intent was never to get the boulder to the top of the hill, but for you to be strengthened in the process? For your resolve to be steeled? For your will and drive to be fortified?

Sometimes it’s not about the circumstances or even the outcomes, it’s about how you grow in the process. The boulder may slide back to where it began, but you don’t have to go with it.

Comments

Toxic Humility

We have all seen false humility: the guy who tries to hide his arrogance with feigned modesty. It’s usually pretty obvious and always obnoxious. But there is also another variation of false humility out there: toxic humility. This is often displayed in self-deprecating talk and a lack of self-confidence, belittling or undermining one’s own talents and abilities. The danger in this kind of behavior is twofold: it is too often accepted as true humility and like a virus, it spreads doubt and disbelief. To clarify, it is not that the bearer of this toxic humility isn’t honest about his view of himself. That is the very issue: he absolutely believes he has little value or utility. He thinks downplaying his own worth is humility but I disagree. CS Lewis said it best when he wrote, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking about yourself less.” His point being, true humility is not an ever-present raincloud of self-doubt that follows you around. It’s a focus on...

The Art of Intentionality

“Intentional living is the art of making our own choices before others’ choices make you.” – Richie Norton I am not even sure who Richie Norton is, but I love that quote! I imagine a ship drifting out to sea, pushed around by the wind and the waves. No course of direction, yet the captain is frustrated when the ship ends up dashed against the rocks, trapped on a sandbar or marooned on an inhospitable island. It is easy to complain when life takes us where we do not want to go. But who is really to blame if we have never set our sails to align us along an appropriate course? Do we blame the waves, wind and the weather? Or should we blame the captain of the ship? It is our life and our ship. We must set our sails with intentionality and determined choices. Otherwise, we are doomed to aimlessly drift along according to the choices and decisions of others.

Last Chance

This morning I was running on the treadmill with an empty treadmill right beside me. This is nothing out of the ordinary since I intentionally plan my workouts at times when the gym is not busy. However, this time that empty treadmill meant much more than just a slow time at the gym. About three weeks ago I was on the same treadmill as I was this morning, and my friend J was on the treadmill beside me. I was cooling down from my workout and just able to catch my breath enough to chat with J for a while. We shared a couple of laughs, talked about some struggles, and then went our separate ways. How was I to know that would be the last time I would ever see him? Three nights ago, I received a text that J had passed away earlier that evening. J is a big, strong guy in his mid-40s, and his passing came as a complete shock. I sat on the couch in stunned silence as I digested the tragic news. This morning, the sight of that empty treadmill hit me hard. J will never walk beside me...

Mindset Matters

Search This Blog