We All Have Our Achilles Heel
We all have a weak point, a signal that remains in some abstract place in us and that sometimes makes itself felt in the body and soul. There is no one who can say that they do not have their own Achilles heel: it is a brand that identifies us and reminds us of who we are.
The Achilles heel has a double face: on the one hand it is positive if we think that it is part of life experiences or of the deepest personality; on the other hand, it is negative, because it reminds us that we have a small hole through which we become vulnerable and through which fear enters.
The Achilles heel”
The expression to have an Achilles heel comes from Greek mythology and, specifically, from the account that Statius makes in the first century of the birth of the hero: one of the most important warriors of Troy and practically immortal.
However, he had a weak point: they called Achilles “the one with the light feet” because of his innate speed, but it was precisely that part of the body that could also make him vulnerable.
One of the versions of the myth tells how his mother held her son in her arms, submerged him in the water of the Styx, forgetting to also introduce one of his feet, the right one, by which she was holding him. The writings also say that during a battle a poisoned arrow hit one of his heels and that was the final cause of his death.
What is the Achilles heel now?
Nowadays, when we tell someone that they have found our Achilles heel, we are giving them to understand that they have come to know that exact corner that makes us falter in the face of various circumstances.
Normally, consciously or unconsciously, we try to hide it precisely because showing our Achilles heel to others makes us feel unprotected and emotionally exposed. So we stand guard and hope that no one gets there to use it against us.
The truth is that having an Achilles heel means having a flank through which it would be very easy for them to hurt us, which will reach deep within us, which will eliminate all the barriers and defenses that the rest of the heart could put up to avoid it.
The Achilles heel personality
It seems that seen in this way this expression is totally negative and is equivalent to owning one or more weak points. In fact, many people thinking about it this way lie to themselves, making themselves believe that they do not have it: they forget that having an Achilles heel is one of the signs that allow them to know themselves better and differentiate themselves from the rest.
Each Achilles heel has its own personality: it can be a memory of an experience that has marked us a lot, a specific person, a bad quality that stains other very good ones, etc. Recognizing and accepting it is an essential step to gain personal security and face many challenges in life.
On many occasions we flee from self-knowledge and it makes us uncomfortable to enter spaces in which we know that we may have to manage a great emotional load. However, doing a study of how to manage our weak points can be what makes the difference between the vulnerability that makes us weak and the vulnerability that we can start from to grow.
So, look inside yourself, look for your Achilles heel and when you find it you will have won something very important, a great challenge to work on and that will make you better and also the people you love.
