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If Sisyphus had cats

Jul 17, 2022
I came home from my coaching mastermind in Chicago on Friday to find my cats had stolen the roll of paper towels from the upstairs bathroom.
 
I suspect it was Stripe that took it, even though Tiger was holding onto it when I spotted it on the floor (see photo).
 
I peeled off the outside layer and put it back where it belonged.
 
But by morning, it had somehow traveled downstairs to my bedroom floor. 🤪🙀😂
 
I began to feel like Sisyphus, the figure from Greek mythology who was condemned by the gods to push a boulder up a hill, only to have it roll back down again.
 
Because I'm pretty sure that even though I've put it back in the bathroom again, it's not going to stay there for very long now that it has gotten their attention.
 
This is a humorous example but I tell it to illustrate a point.
 
Do you ever feel like Sisyphus? Or like you are in the modern-day version of the story in the movie "Groundhog Day?"
 
Like no matter how hard you try, you always seem to be pushing your particular boulder up the hill only to have it roll back down again?  Maybe sometimes rolling right over you as it thunders down the hill?
 
Sisyphus felt like he was stuck in a never-ending cycle of frustration and despair.
 
Many people feel like they are too.
 
And yet, despite our repeated failures, we keep getting up and trying again.
 
Why is that?
 
Why do we keep making the same mistakes over and over again?
 
And why is it that despite our repeated failures, we continue to try to make things better?
 
Because, fortunately, it is the nature of humans to keep trying.
 
And the good news is that we can overcome our mistakes and failures through trial and error, by learning from our mistakes.
 
And in fact, learning from our mistakes works even better than learning from the things we just happen to get right.
 
But we have to pay attention if we want to find the lessons!
 
So if you are finding patterns in your life where the same thing goes wrong over and over again, can you try to unravel the knot a little to see why?
 
There's a great quote from James Clear: "Once is a mistake. Twice is the start of a new habit."
 
Is there something that you do that kind of gets systematized into a repetitive error or habit that is not serving you?
 
For my doctors and other professionals:
 
At your office, do you tend to let tasks pile up, intending to do them later, and then find you are dealing with a mountain of messages?
 
Or feel bothered by something that a colleague or team member says or does, but never say anything about it until one day you explode? And the other person had no idea that you were even bothered by it, because you never said anything before?
 
Or for my weight loss people:
 
Do you fall into the trap of repeatedly thinking "just this once won't matter? I'll be better tomorrow?" Let me be clear - there is nothing wrong with making exceptions and renegotiating your plans - it's just that if you do it consistently, you won't make progress. If exceptions become the rule, well - you get the point.
 
Or at home:
 
Do you start a seemingly innocent conversation with your spouse, only to suddenly find yourself in the same argument you've been having since 1987?
 
The trick is in figuring out which things to worry about and which things NOT to worry about.
 
So the fact is, I got major laughs at the kitty paper towel antics. I don't care that they keep stealing the paper towels. In fact, the more they do it, the more I laugh. It's not important.
 
But I'm careful not to leave my car keys, watch, or glasses around where they could be stolen. They'd be harder to find and likely I'd be in a hurry when I wanted them.
 
So as you go through your day, try to notice what things go right (and why) and what things go wrong (and why).
 
Then decide whether you care, or whether if you don't care much, whether letting this slide for too long might let it turn into something you do care about.
 
If not, let it go.
 
And if it needs attention, fix it before it becomes too big a boulder for you to push all the way up the hill.
 
Maybe I'll name my next cat Sisyphus. Or Sisypus.


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