Welcome to the Juggle
Or- Rubber and glass
Think.
Last week, we talked about spinning plates. Sticking with the amusement theme, let’s turn to the juggler.
If you followed the writing prompt from last week and came up with a list of the buckets you use to hold the contents of your life, great.
If not, here’s another way of looking at it from Bryan Dyson (former Coke CEO), in a commencement speech given at Georgia Tech in 1991.
He ended his speech with a metaphor that has come to be called the “Five Balls of Life.”
"Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them—work, family, health, friends, and spirit—and you're keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls—family, health, friends, and spirit—are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged, or even shattered. They will never be the same.”
This is important not only because we see the buckets that Mr. Dyson used: work, family, health, friends, and spirit, but also because he identifies that some buckets have to be prioritized over others.
I would argue that all of the balls shift from rubber to glass at certain times, and then shift back again. The trick is to recognize which ones are glass at which times and not drop them when they are.
Read. Unfiltered
By: Tim Denning
Write.
If you have identified your buckets, it’s time to fill them up.
Your writing prompt is to label the balls you put into each bucket and decide whether each is made of rubber or glass right now, and what might cause them to change.
Repeat.
Words of wisdom from those who said it best.
Of the five most important things in life, health is first, education or knowledge is second, and wealth is third. I forget the other two.
Chuck Berry
Oh, By the way. I now have a YouTube Channel where I post a Sunday morning Ruck Rant that you might enjoy. Check it out here:
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See you next Thursday!
Love this idea of glass vs. rubber balls, John. Such a great way to think about juggling priorities. Thanks for sharing.
Great analogy about the balls of glass and rubber. I appreciate the shout out for Tim Denning. His writing is hilarious and super useful.