Do You Hear It?
It Calls.
Subtle.
Even Sweet.
Anytime You are on the Path to Something Great, It is There.
After You Have Settled on Your Goal.
Toward a Destination for Success.
The Journey is going Well, and All is on Track.
Then...
It Begins.
In the Tales of Old, they were called "Sirens".
Perhaps most Famous from the Tale of Odysseus, the Greek Hero.
Odysseus had One Goal.
Make it Home.
But to get Home, Odysseus and his Crew had to go through the Sirens.
Creatures who Called Out to Sailors.
Sang So Beautifully.
But to the Sailor's Peril.
When one Accepts the Siren's Call, they Perish.
Death.
People believe that Sirens are of Myth.
They are Wrong.
Sirens Call Out to this Day.
I do Not mean there are "Mermaids" or "Winged Women" that Literally Sing.
Depending on which Version of the Siren You've Heard.
Rather, the Siren Exists Within Us.
Which Perhaps makes the Siren Deadlier.
You could Outsail a Mermaid.
You could Avoid a Winged Woman.
A Physical Threat can be Seen.
But the Siren Within?
There is No Escape.
You can Run.
You can Hide.
You can Close Your Eyes.
You can Cover Your Ears.
No Matter Where You Go.
The Deepest Ocean.
The Vast and Endless Expanses of Space.
The Siren is still there.
Calling.
Singing.
Often in a Voice We Find to be Sweet.
With One Goal.
Sending You To Your Demise.
Everyone Begins their Journey to Success Strong.
Yet Few Attain Success.
It is Rare Indeed.
The Call of the Siren is Too Strong for them.
The Person who wants to get Healthy.
Who wants to Get Fit.
Who wants to Start a Business.
Who wants to Become a Leader.
Who wants to Change the World.
They Frequently Fall to the Siren's Call.
I see it All the Time.
Some of the Calls of the Siren are Easy to Catch.
"You Do Not 'Need' to Do Anything Today."
"No One Will Know."
"No One Will Care."
They are Slight, Even Minuscule Challenges to Your Character.
Often with Hints of "truth" Within.
Other Calls are More Overt.
Telling You to Give Into Your Desires.
Give Into Your Anger.
Give Into Your Frustrations.
Give Into Your Fears.
Pushing You to Use Your Worst Traits.
These are the Moments You Immediately Regret.
Then, When you Regret Them, the Siren's Call Grasps Your Throat as you Fall Into Grief and Dismay.
That is the thing about the Siren's Call.
It is Never a Singular Event.
It is an Enchanting Song of Despair.
When You Give In, You Begin a Choreographed Dance of Doom.
Each Step, Precise.
Each Step Leading to Your Failure.
You begin to Spin.
Around and Around.
Until You Drown in a Whirlpool of Your Own Creation.
The Siren has Achieved Its Goal.
Your Demise.
But it Does Not Need to Be like This.
There is Something that Gives the Siren Power.
When You Take It Away, the Siren Loses Its Power.
What is it?
Simply Revealing the Siren.
In some Tales of Sirens, they "Appear" to be Beautiful Women or Family Members.
However, it is an Illusion.
When the Illusion Fades, you see the Terrible Monsters for what they are.
The Internal Siren is No Different.
It's Call Tries to Convince You that it is Your Friend.
Your Ally.
That it has Your Best Interest.
But when You Question It, You Begin to See.
The Truth.
It "Never" had Your Best Interest At Heart.
It Promises Short-Term Relief or Gain at the Cost of Long-Term Failure.
A Complete Loss Of Your Potential.
Stealing Time You Can "Never" Get Back.
When You Hear the Call, Question It.
Is this "Really" Best?
Does it Bring Me "Closer" to My Goals?
Will these Actions Bring Me Success?
Or is it the Siren?
Be Wary The Siren's Call.
Do Not Give In to its Tempting Lure.
Overcome.