Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Within Range Coaching Podcast with Ranger.
I'm Ranger, Certified Holistic Success Coach, and in this podcast, I'm breaking down the
journey that entrepreneurs face as they start their organization, find solutions, and create
an impact that lasts.
If you're an entrepreneur, nonprofit leader, or purpose-driven community member that wants
to learn more about yourself and others, then this is the podcast for you.
I know you're just as eager as I am to get started, so let's jump right in.
Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening, everybody.
This is your host, Ranger.
And just to kind of jump straight into the podcast today, I wanted to share a quick story
and my interpretation of it.
You might have heard this before in different variations, but it's the story of Theseus
and his ship, the Argo.
Theseus owned a ship, and the ship was made entirely of wood.
The ship, named the Argo, was taken all over the world, and each time a piece of the ship
was broken, rotted, or just needed replacing, it was switched out with a metal part.
This went on for a few years until eventually the ship was made entirely of metal.
So this begs the question, is it still the same ship?
Some will say, yes, it's Theseus' ship.
It's the same thing, the same Argo.
The pieces are just different.
Others will say, no, it's a different ship.
Technically, you could take all those pieces and build the original ship.
Therefore, it's not the same ship anymore.
But if we adopt that belief, at what point is it not the same?
When only 99% of the ship is original?
What about 75%?
50?
What if you change just one piece?
Or what if Theseus changed the name of the ship?
The ship's name is Argo, which means quick.
But what if instead of Argo, he switched it to Polemos, which means war?
Is it the same ship?
Or has it been changed because of the name?
Maybe, but only if the purpose and behaviors of the vessel actually change.
At what point is a physical object not its original self anymore?
And why does that matter?
Well, I'll tell you.
It's because this is about ships and it's not about ships.
Theseus' ship changes over time.
But the focus, from what I've seen, is always around the physical changes.
What about the deeper reasons?
What about the reasons why the pieces were changed?
We're focused on what the physical accumulation of the ship and what it looks like, because
that's easy.
We can see that right in front of us.
But what I've noticed is the why and the how aren't really talked about when it comes
to the Argo.
In the story or the general thought experiment itself, the physical aspects change over time.
They become harder, tougher, more acclimated to the situations and surroundings the ship
finds itself in.
And I got to figure that Theseus replaced each piece for a reason.
It wasn't just for fun or for whatever random reason.
From what I can see, the reason being was to replace each soft, brittle, breakable piece
with something that worked better for what he was trying to achieve.
But what was he trying to achieve?
And rather than focusing so much on the individual pieces and the physical ship right off the
bat, let's go ahead and take a few steps back and look at the ship as a whole.
Take a holistic view of the ship.
What's the purpose of the vessel?
Why is it even important to replace pieces over time?
To keep it in order?
To maintain the starboard and the port sides?
And what if the purpose changes?
What if we spend all that work figuring out why it's important, but then later on it changes
anyway?
Well, let's go ahead and just say that Theseus wants the ship to be lightweight, fast, and
easy to handle so he can move cargo more quickly so he can make deliveries and therefore make
more money.
What decisions would he make then?
Would he put 15 cannons on the port left and starboard right sides?
Or even change the name to mean war instead of fast?
I got to assume probably not.
How would doing those things serve the overall purpose of the vessel of what he's trying
to do with the ship, with his business?
Now I'm sure when he goes to the parts store, the ship parts store or at the dock, whatever,
there's probably a million and one different options for him to choose from.
And the boat sales dude probably drives a hard bargain.
But in a world of a million and one options of how to do something, it's extremely easy
to feel lost.
You'll feel lost, overwhelmed, and directionless.
But in this case, since Theseus knows the purpose of the ship and the outcome he's trying
to achieve, that purpose and outcome can act kind of as a sifter that can pull out the
pieces he doesn't want and just leave options that will help him walk or sail in that purpose.
Then from those options that are left over after it's sifted from his purpose and his
outcome, he can then look at his environment, the water, the crew, the routes, the market
for whatever products he wants to move around and pick what would work best from there.
It's multiple sifters to figure out what equipment would get him where he needs to go.
But what would happen if the pieces were not replaced over time?
Now sure, some pieces of the ship might not be as important as others.
But one piece can technically accomplish multiple tasks.
The ship would still float with a chair or two out of commission.
The ship would make it to its destination if a stair was creaky or a door was squeaky.
But what if there's a hole in the hole?
That's the bottom of the boat.
Or the rudder is bent and you can't steer properly.
How can the ship get to where it's going if water is filling up the ship and it can't
even move?
At what point is a part important enough to do something about it?
And if Theseus were to notice these pieces weren't working and did nothing about them
in the name of staying the same and maintaining that original ship so the ship's not different,
what would happen?
If he gave into the thoughts he may have of, you can't change that, the mast makes the
ship.
Or if you change the layout of the deck, it's going to be different and it's just always
been that way.
Or you can't paint it that color, everyone knows it for being blue.
If Theseus gave into those beliefs and pressures and didn't shift and change, what happened?
I'd assume that he and his ship would be out of alignment with their purpose and outcomes
they're trying to create.
This may be just fine for a while, but as you can imagine, this may have drastic long-term
effects over time.
He could lose business, his sanity, and worst case, his ship overall.
And then what's he left with?
By trying so hard to maintain what it was, he's not seeing what it can be.
So why are we talking about this ship so much?
Let me answer that question with another question.
When you find a piece of you that is broken or not working properly, do you ignore it?
Or do you replace it with something that works better?
And how big of a piece needs to be an issue, like the chairs and stairs on the Argo?
How big of that piece needs to be an issue before you do something about it?
Theseus replaced pieces of a ship as time went on.
Maybe some pieces broke or he found a better piece that fit his needs better.
How could this concept come into play with you in your life?
As a coach, I believe that people are whole and complete and don't need to be fixed.
They don't need to be fixed.
However, I do also believe that people can change who and what they are, especially when
they see that beliefs and behaviors that are so ingrained in their day-to-day life don't
serve them.
You can change your beliefs and your behaviors to something that works better.
People, you included, are able to move towards a self that is a better fit for how you want
to be in the world and the outcomes you want to create for yourself.
So to make that comparison, let's do a physical comparison between you and the ship.
Let's say one day you decide to start working out.
You hire a trainer, start going for walks, start hitting the weights at 3 a.m. in the
gym while you listen to Tesla Violet on repeat.
And one day, six months later, you look different.
You gain some health and muscle.
You look different in the mirror and others start to notice.
Your clothes fit differently.
You wear the outfits you've always wanted to.
You aren't out of breath when you're going up the stairs anymore.
You're more confident.
You feel better.
And then you start asking yourself questions.
Are you still the same person?
You look different like the ship.
You act differently like the ship.
And your surroundings are different like the ship.
So are you still the same person?
I'd say yes.
You're still the same person.
You're still the same person who values health, dedication, perseverance, discipline, and
so many other things.
What's different now is those beliefs and values aren't below the water anymore.
They have always been there.
The only difference is they're above the water now and you're the type of person, the version
of you, that does something about it.
Now let's move towards those internal decisions we make for ourselves.
Like how Theseus decided that he wanted to do something different with his ship.
Go quicker, make better deliveries, etc.
And say that community fun and excitement are important to you.
Community fun, excitement, and that in order to fulfill those values and activities, you
drink and you party.
Sure, it hits those values and probably for a few years, you make connections, you hang
out with friends, you go out, you see things, you have fun experiences.
But as time goes on and your environment changes, other values start to become more prevalent.
And maybe now your health or family or not feeling like shit the next day or week, values
start to come out more and you see that drinking may not be for you anymore.
What then?
Do you continue doing the thing you've always done?
The partying, the drinking, the hanging out with other people that maybe you don't even
want to hang out with anymore?
Do you do that in the name of staying the same, of being the same old Argo that you
used to be?
Or do you find something different?
Do you start to replace those behaviors with something else?
And to be clear, you can still build community, have fun and find excitement in other activities
while still honoring your value of health and family at the same time.
It's just about putting those activities in a sifter like the Argo did previously with
going quicker, making better deliveries and being easier to handle.
You can find activities that hit all of your values.
You can spend time with your friends and family differently, find a group workout class and
engage in other exciting activities that just scratch your brain in all the right ways.
It's about finding behaviors that work with more values at the same time.
Just like how Theseus changes pieces of a ship to make it faster or able to carry more,
it's the same ship but it's floating in its values.
And just as the ship floats in its values and what its purpose and outcomes are, you
too can walk in those aspects of your life.
And like we mentioned earlier, we're changing the name of the Argo to something different.
What's in a name?
How does a name change your identity?
Like when you go by your middle name when you go to college, or you get a new title
at a job, or maybe even a small human starts to call you mom or dad.
How does that shift in identity, like our example, changing Argo to Polemos affect you?
Those name changes may not change what the object or person is, but it changes how they
show up in the world because of the fact we associate different values and behaviors with
those names.
We might associate traits like caring, sacrifice, love, affection with the names like mom or
dad, or a fresh version of ourselves by going by a middle name or a nickname, and whatever
other traits we associate with job titles.
But the key here isn't necessarily the name or the title we give ourselves.
That's just the start.
The key is how we walk in that title.
By giving us a name, we're able to walk clearer in that path.
Just how Theseus named his ship Argo, which means quick, that helps him make decisions
on what works best for what he's trying to accomplish.
So when we walk in those titles, it's more so about how we honor those values and traits.
It's what's beneath the surface.
And if Theseus named his fast little shipping boat War, that wouldn't align with what he's
trying to do.
It'd be like saying your one thing, but clearly acting as another.
There's nothing in alignment there.
So let me ask you, what do you want to be?
And what does that look like to you?
And to really just wrap all this up, I want to say this.
You are both the ship and Theseus.
You're Argo and Theseus, you're the ship and you're the captain.
But the difference is, you're not separate.
You don't need to dock and stop and go to the parts store in order to replace the pieces
of yourself.
You want to be different.
You can build the ship as it sails.
You can make the decision to change and you can actually change.
You can make the daily changes to create the life you want to live and the identity you
want to walk in.
And it starts with answering these questions, which will be in the description in the show
notes.
Where am I going?
Why is getting here important to me?
What are my values?
Who do I want to be?
And what am I missing here?
These questions and these answers to those questions will help you move confidently forward,
make decisions and keep going even when you hit rough waters.
So when you ask, why aren't I myself anymore?
The answer is that you are.
It's just the version of you you were meant to be.
This is about ships and it's not about ships.
You might be wondering, what do I value?
How do I know where to go?
And how do I see another perspective?
Don't worry, I've got something else for you.
In the description of this podcast, I have two different resources for you to figure
this out.
The very first is the value wheel.
The second is the well-formed outcome.
And if you take advantage of both of these resources, you will be able to find the X
on the map, have a strategy to get past all the obstacles that will not may, but will
get in your way and start to find your own answers and solutions.
So go to the show notes, hit the link, grab the resources and get started today towards
the outcome you want to see tomorrow.
And if you want to set up a complimentary coaching call with me, fill out the interest
form and I'll be in touch.
As always, have fun, stay safe and be yourself.
See you next week.