What if Achilles Knew About His Heel

Achilles was the strongest and bravest Greek warrior, the hero of various battles during the Trojan War. He died when he was forty after being wounded at the back of his heel by a poisoned arrow. According to Greek mythology he was the son of Peleus, a mortal, and Thetis, the sea nymph. Thetis, wanting to make all her children immortal, dipped baby Achilles in the River Styx. He did become invulnerable, except for the place on his heel where she held him in the river.

So the term Achilles’ heel has come to represent a small but potentially fatal patch of vulnerability. This fatal flaw can lead to our downfall, in our personal or professional lives.

While this is the main message derived from the Achilles story, there is another equally important lesson.

His heel was always going to put him at risk, but NOT KNOWING ABOUT IT is what really left him vulnerable; unprotected. What if his mother had told him about how she dipped him in the river of immortality? What if when he was a teenager he scraped his heel and realized it was different than the rest of his body? With this awareness he would have worn armor to guard his heel, or positioned himself differently in battle. If Achilles had known about his heel, and protected himself, he might still be around, maybe starring in Marvel movies.

As a coach, one of my top priorities is to help someone identify an Achilles heel, and guide them to mitigating the risks that it will damage, stall or derail their careers.

In addition to career risks, people can have weaknesses or harmful habits in relation to:

• health
• happiness
• relationships
• finances

Some behaviors or skill deficits will impact every aspect of your life. An example is difficulty in saying No.

One of the highest payoff self-development activities you can engage in is to set aside time to reflect on, and Identify where you are vulnerable; what could get in the way of you reaching your personal and professional goals. One very revealing time for all of us is when we undergo chronic stress.

Please send any feedback or questions on this idea of knowing your Achilles Heel  (martyseldman7@gmail.com). If there is interest, I will write more about specific patterns and how to minimize the associated risks.