Playing Sisyphus

Leaders: There is no honor in playing Sisyphus.

In Greek mythology Sisyphus was punished for cheating death twice by being forced to roll an immense boulder up a hill only for it to roll  down every time it neared the top, repeating this action for eternity.

Great leaders are 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰. They know when to stop pushing the rock up the hill.

You can probably think of a time when you’ve felt like Sisyphus. I know I can.

So why do we keep pushing on that rock, even though we know we’re not going to get it over the hill, and it will just roll back down?

It could be that:
🔸 We believe how we’re perceived is dependent on keepin’ on keepin’ on.
🔸 We feel we don’t have a choice.
🔸 We’re afraid of what might happen if we stop and step away.
🔸 Or we’ve tied our identity to this particular struggle.

But the truth is
👉 The perception that’s created is not what we think it is–not by a long shot, and not positive.
👉 We always have a choice. Choosing to do nothing different–to keep pushing–is a choice.
👉 The only thing that we can be SURE will happen when we step away is that we’ll no longer be pushing the rock up the hill. Something bad might happen. Something good might happen. Nothing might happen. We won’t know until we do it.
👉 You are more than this struggle and deserve to be known as such.

My challenge to you as you go into this weekend is to look for a situation where you feel like good ol’ Sisyphus pushing the rock up the hill, over and over. Be pragmatic and acknowledge you won’t ever get it over the hill. Then step away from the rock and see what happens.

🔹 Is there a rock in your life that you can stop pushing up the hill?

————–

If you’re looking for support to stop being Sisyphus, contact me to discuss how I can support you with coaching and leadership advisory services. I’d love to work with you to step out from behind the rock.