Are you a sucker for TEMPTATIONS…?
Yesterday was my B-Day, I turned 36 and I won’t lie. I still feel pretty young ;-). However, I am going to face many temptations, my mom is making me her special white enchiladas and my favorite dessert of all time…homemade ice cream cake!
Truth be told, I am going to eat both of these. I have been planning for this high calorie vacation week for 8 weeks now, as many of you know. Plus, on Monday the quest for 215 will continue on ;-).
Now let’s talk about TEMPTATION by remembering a classic and epic story…The Sirens in Homer’s Odyssey.
“The Sirens were three mysterious women who, according to Homer’s Odyssey, lived on an island. Whenever a ship passed by, they would stand on the cliffs and sing. Their beautiful song would tempt sailors closer and closer, until eventually they were shipwrecked on the rocks below.”
I think in today’s world many people’s “Sirens” are eating out and fast food. In general, we hate to prepare food, we hate shopping, meal prepping, cooking it, and even cleaning up after it. So what do we do? We follow the Sirens song to the “Golden Arches,” lol.
Any way, “Odysseus was curious to hear the Sirens’ song, but was well aware of the dangers. He ordered his men to tie him to the mast as they approached the island and then to plug their own ears with beeswax. When Odysseus heard the Siren call he demanded to be untied, but his shipmates bound him tighter, releasing him only when then the danger had passed.”
Couple of thoughts here.
One, was it wise for Odysseus to flirt with danger? No! You shouldn’t either, if you know where and what your “Siren” is, don’t go near it. The the more accessible it is, the more often you see it, the more likely it will be that you eat it ;-). Flee unplanned temptation!
Two, accountability literally can save your life or results. If Odysseus’ men hadn’t been there to tie him up, he would have swam his way to a nasty death. Do you have a workout partner? Do you have someone making sure you are logging your food and staying with your goals? If not, you need one. Without accountability the changes of you being highly successful go down exponentially.
In closing, the above story explores the powerful pull we all feel at times to flirt with choices that we know are bad, and even destructive. Remember, flee from temptation and seek accountability.
Go be awesome!
Kellen Lake – I love the Odyssey! You should totally read it.
PS – Have an epic weekend, next week we are back at it ;-)!