Never give in. Never let up. Get back up.
The journey never ends.
Just in case you’ve never read the Iliad, the heroes name is Odysseus in the original Greek, Ulysses in Latin and English.
The Iliad, written by Homer in 750 BCE, is the story of a true leader; and some of the sacrifice it takes to be one. The Iliad is the journey of the human soul.
After winning the battle of Troy, the only thing Odysseus wanted was to return home and take his rightful place as the king of his home and kingdom.
But life had other plans.
When you commit to becoming an authentic leader; when you
commit to thinking for yourself; when you commit to taking your
rightful place in ruling your own kingdom; realize you’re committing to
a long journey with a lot of challenges. Stay the course. It’s worth it.
Instead of getting his wishes, and celebrating his victory in battle, he preceded to face 7 additional challenges on his way home.
Including going to, and being trapped in, hell.
It took him 10 full years to complete these tasks and finally return home.
Psychologist Anders Ericsson from Florida State is recognized as the worlds leading expert on the research of Peak Performance and Mastery.
His research proves it requires a minimum of 10,000 hours of “deliberate practice.”
Deliberate practice is much more than doing the same thing over and over. It’s not the topic of discussion today.
But to put 10,000 hours into perspective, it equates to approximately 3 hours every single day for 10 years.
The ancients intuitively knew many of the things that modern
science and research are now proving through study.
When we finally marry our intuitive minds with
our intellectual minds our world begins to shift.
One of the greatest leadership challenges of today’s world is that we’ve nearly lost our mythology.
We’ve certainly lost the correct context.
We’ve taken what little mythology we have left and turned it into a “true story” about some dead prophets from long ago that are completely inaccessible to our daily lives.
If you’re thinking, “James, what does mythos have to do with leadership and business?” My answer is:
“Everything.”
If you’ve been following this series, you know by now we’re talking a very different leader than a manager or strategist alone.
We’re talking a leader that engages the whole person: Body, Heart, Mind and Soul.
Learn here how to fully activate your Heart and Mind in this article.
Anything less is an incomplete picture.
Mythology was intended to speak to the heart and soul.
To chronicle the heroic journey of the human spirit.
Modern society has lost this journey and now focuses its entire
mythos upon the greatest myth of all—money and materialism!
Obviously, this is a topic that needs a very in-depth discussion and many potential hours. We don’t have this luxury in a blog.
I’ll quickly summarize a few key distinctions for your consideration; and then I hope to meet and work with you in person for greater depth and detail if these concepts resonate:
- The journey to authentic leadership is becoming the captain of your own heart, mind and soul.
- The journey takes a lifetime. Maybe multiple lifetimes.
- Research both by intuitive observation, and now by scientific and psychological data, proves it takes at least 10 years; and a minimum of 10,000 hours once you make the commitment.
- You’ll often feel defeated, forsaken, alone, exhausted, and like you’ve set yourself up for an impossible task.
- You’ll want to give up.
- Continuance in spite of these feelings is a major part of the task. This is the Odysseus commitment. To continue to fight forward no matter what.
- Finally, the authentic leader within you, as well as your soul, is committed to something far beyond your own personal comforts and needs. It always has to do with a higher purpose, cause, or contribution to something or someone outside yourself.
If people knew how hard I worked to gain my mastery,
it wouldn’t seem so wonderful at all.
~ Michelangelo
What are you committed to?
Be a Leader. Live Your Purpose; and Take Your Power Back!
James
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