How to Win the Inner Game of Self Mastery: Start with Sisyphus (A Battle of The Gods Series)

Call me simple minded, but have you ever wondered why January is called January?  Well, I discovered that it’s named after the Roman God Janus who was the God of transitions.  So, if you think about what January really is – it’s a month of transitioning from one year to the next.  But I want to tell you a story that will kick of an amazing year for you if you’re looking to make deep changes in your life that stick this last year of the decade.

So, I remember reading a bestselling book years ago called 3 Laws of Performance which addressed 3 laws that could transform any dysfunctional society, organization or community in the world into being one of cooperation and authentic partnerships…and there was a section where I came across the word Sisyphean – as in “Sisyphean task”.  It was in the editor’s note.  And here’s what that note said:

Editor’s Note:

There must be a Jay Gatsby gene in all of us who are involved in the improbable task of transforming organizations. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Gatsby, our avatar, embodied this with his “passion for the promises of life.” I’ve been brooding and thinking about this for more than a half century, and at times I think it’s a bootless chase; in more promising moods, a Sisyphean task; and at other times, one of Zeus’s cruel hoaxes he pulls on us susceptible mortals from time to time to prod us further in search of a vivid utopia…

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What Does Sisyphus Have to Do With Self Mastery?

After reading the book the first time, I moved on with life.  But the second or third time I picked the book up, I had to look up the word.  And I recall it had to do with a Greek mythological figure.

The “Sisyphean task…” mentioned was referring to the task of transforming organizations which can seem like the task that the King Sisyphus was assigned to complete forever.  But who the heck is Sisyphus? Well, according to the Greek mythology, he was a deceitful king that was sentenced to rolling a bolder uphill only to watch it roll downhill and then have to roll it back uphill again.  And he had to do it forever!  And like Sisyphus, we’ll find ourselves sooner or later stuck by similar forces of inner self deceit unless something changes.

So Now, What Does Janus Have To Do With Self Mastery and Having An Amazing Year?

So, I started to make sense of that fact that the book I was reading addressed how much of an upward battle it can be to transform organizations such as Nike, Reebok, etc. And it also made sense to me that causing our own inner transformations would take no less of an effort to execute.  That being said, if this is a year that you said – I’m going to make changes that stick, period; remember Sisyphus. Remember the pushing that has to be done to master your weaknesses or at the very least, make sure they don’t undermine your strengths.

If you’re looking to have an unforgettable year, it’s a must to dig deeper than ever…it’s a must to push the boulder in honor of your search for truth where you’ve been afraid to look and lastly, being open to receiving truth from places you least expected it.  So, with that, you should know that this blog is part of a series of posts borrowing from Greek & Roman mythology that I believe you’ll find entertaining as well as life altering.  If you’re ready for the self mastery journey you’ve dreamed of where you can get coaching, tools and long overdue blueprints that you can apply immediately – I am here to deliver on that.

Till the next post…(leave a comment, and let me know your thoughts on the dots connected so far about Sisyphus and Janus)

Cheers!

Buihe Madu

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Authors note: This post orig. appeared in the 24 Hour Blueprint blogspot blog in 2015.  It's been updated for this post and was originally written and published by Buihe Madu.