In this post from the Winners Circle, Lou Tice talks about how we might deal with particularly thorny problems, and how we can gain inspiration from one of the Classics in literature, Homer’s “Odyssey”.
When you are presented with a thorny problem, how do your respond? When you have been dealt a serious blow by life, what do you tell yourself?
Today, I want to talk about the power of optimism. In Allan McGinnis’ book, “The Power of Optimism,” he reminds us of a wonderful scene in Homer’s, “Odyssey.”
Odysseus’ son is worried that his father will never come home from the wars. But Pallas Athene, the heroine of the book, gently reassures him by saying, “Your father will not be exiled much longer… trust Odysseus to get free. He always finds a way.”
This is an excellent description of option thinkers: No matter how tough the problem, no matter how great the odds, the option thinker always believes there is a solution. Option thinkers keep trying, experimenting, and looking. And eventually, one of their efforts bears fruit. They just refuse to give up when things get tough.
When Odysseus finally does make it home, in time to drive away his wife’s suitors and reunite his family, it is perhaps the greatest homecoming scene in all literature.
So what do you tell yourself when you are up against a wall? What do you say when you have been knocked down by life? Instead of looking for someone or something to blame, instead of falling silent in defeat and depression, why not remember Odysseus and tell yourself, “I’ll find a way. No matter what, I will find a way!”
Lou Tice
The Pacific Institute
When I started to think about this post from Lou Tice, I realized that I tend to have some double-standards. If I’m doing a job for someone else and hit a problem, whether paid or unpaid, I will find a way — it might not always be the best way, but I will find a way to do the job. But when I’m doing a job for myself and hit a problem, my dogged determination can slip. I need to make some changes there. I need to tell myself, “I’ll find a way, no matter what, I will find a way!” when I’m the one that will benefit from my success as well as when others will.
Another interesting, and thought-provoking post from Lou Tice at the Winners Circle. I always get something from these daily emails; if you think you might, do please consider signing up yourself — it doesn’t cost anything.
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