I awoke with a start at 3:00AM. I saw my hand being cut with a scalpel, and frozen in panic I was unable to cry out for help. The dream reflected my fear and confusion about whether to have surgery on my left hand for a condition that pulls my ring finger into the palm of my hand.
The next morning I began to see how my fear and confusion were preventing me from acting. I felt paralyzed by the story I was telling myself. Then I remembered the Greek myth of Medusa. She was a beautiful young woman who enraged the goddess Athena who cursed Medusa by turning her hair into a nest of vipers. Anyone unfortunate enough to look at Medusa was turned to stone. The hills of Greece were littered by heroes frozen by Medusa’s gaze. Perseus slew Medusa by looking at the monster through his polished shield. This allowed him to quickly decapitate her.
This is a great coaching story. The job of the coach is to act like Persues’s shield, By that I mean to reflect back on the scary, cruel and unforgiving stories we tell ourselves and question their validity. Medusa is the confused mind. Perseus, with his mirrored shield is the aware mind. The aware mind can reflect on stories and question their usefulness without being paralyzed.
Any story that starts with “Hey loser, you are powerless and doomed,” needs to be reflected upon quickly or it will turn action into stone. A great coach will hold the mirrored shield up so the client can still the vipers of doubt and take action.
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