The BIGG Successs Show
What You Can Learn From Jugglers
Bigg Success strategies for your work - life juggling act! Listen to the show & read the summary here.
Welcome to The Big Success Show. Today, we'll discuss what you can learn from jugglers. The Big Success Show with George and Mary Lynn. Mary Lynn, I am just fascinated by jugglers. You know, how they can keep all of those balls going at the same time, you know, or whatever it is. I mean, I've seen bowling pins, bowling balls. I mean, whatever. Things on fire. Exactly. And how they keep it all going at once just amazes me. Around the holidays, for our newsletter subscribers, we sent a link to an amazing video of a guy juggling and playing the piano at the same time. He had like six or seven balls at one time. I couldn't quit watching it. I know. And he kept playing this song. Didn't miss a note. Didn't miss a beat. It was mind-boggling. Yeah, and you know, what's also mind-boggling, though, is all the things that we all juggle every single day of our lives. That's right. Life is one big juggling act. And that's, yes, that's what inspired this show. Because maybe there are lessons to be learned from jugglers. Yeah, and since we're not jugglers in the traditional sense, we consulted with one, Dr. Craig Rusbolt, who actually taught juggling, didn't know there was a juggling course, but he actually taught juggling at the University of Washington for ten years. And we've got a link on our blog today where you can get his instructions on how to juggle. But on our show today, we want to talk about what jugglers can teach us about work-life balance. Ladies and gentlemen, step right up over here, over here, the world's greatest juggling act, Mary Lynn. Jeez, I will be juggling Cotton Candy today. Cotton Candy, huh? By the way, you're a pretty darn good ringmaster. More Runmaster. It'd be a new career for you. Is that right? I wonder how well that pays. I'm not sure. I'm probably peanuts. That's the elements, too. Oh, I'm sorry. Alright, well, getting back to juggling. Well, that is what we're talking about today. Yes, it is. To get started, you're only going to use one ball. Yeah, you know, when we talk about balls, first of all, try not to laugh. But, you know, jugglers use balls, and so we're talking about these balls as representative of your work, your family, you time, all the other things that we juggle. And, you know, if we were trying to learn how to juggle, we'd start with one. Now, obviously, in our lives, you can't necessarily set down all the balls, except one. You know, but you can focus on one at a time, and that's the only way you'll learn how to juggle all the things in your life. So, with this one ball, get used to the motion and the pattern. Practice how high you throw the ball, taking it to the same peak time after time after time. And, Marilyn, I studied Dr. Russ Baltimore's instructions, and I think I'm reasonably coordinated. Except from the dance floor. No, I'm just saying. But I found, even with one ball, it's not that easy at first to get that motion down. That's right, and that's why it's so important to start with just one ball, because it's all about gaining a natural, relaxed control of the ball. Yeah, and so, you know, when you're thinking about juggling in our personal life, it's the same thing. Focus on one area, find that pattern. You know, let's just say it's your work. Take it to its peak, because you're a big goal-getter, but you want to make sure you're in control of it, not let it be in control of you. And once you've got that down, now you add another ball, and you get used to the two balls, coordinating the two things at once. Quit laughing over there, still being in control, and then you'll add a third. And it may seem hard to keep adding in more balls, but really, it's not, because when you think about it, you've only got one ball in the air at a time. Yeah, and, you know, just like in real life, you can only focus on one thing at a time. You've got one ball in the air, but you're getting ready to put the other ones in play, and on and on, you know, we're keeping everything in play all areas of our life, but we're only focused on one at a time. Now, here are four things to become a great juggler. And the first one is this, true of anything. Practice, practice, practice. Yes, the more you do it, the easier it's going to get. And the second one is find your rhythm. Consistency is key. You want your balls to peak at the same height, you want to follow a constant pattern, so it keeps your timing in check. Yeah, you know what to expect. So does everybody else, because you've established patterns of behavior. It allows you to keep it all under control, everything kind of building together. And third, keep it going. Getting started is the hard part, but once you get going, you find your rhythm, it naturally happens, you're relaxed, you're not even thinking about it, you don't plan for the next move, you don't force anything, you just go with the flow. It's basically what peak performers do. They get into the flow. With the real world, it's the same kind of thing. You know, we get inertia going, we get it started, and we just go with it. Coming up, our fourth and final tip on how to juggle work in life. Today, we're talking about lessons we can learn from jugglers, and here's the fourth tip. Maintain a positive attitude. Yeah, don't worry about dropping the ball. Focus on catching it. And if you do drop the ball, no worries, just adjust, adapt, and recover. And you're not perfect, don't expect yourself to be. Sometimes in the real world, you're going to drop the ball, smile, and then start juggling again. Now, if you really want to learn how to juggle, we have a link to the instructions that we've talked about on our show today at bigsuccess.com. That's big with 2G's. And while you're there, tell us how you juggle it all. We'd love to hear from you. And let's get our big quote for the day, George. Our big quote today comes from Thomas Merton, who said, "Happiness is not a matter of intensity, but of balance, order, rhythm, and harmony." It's fun to watch a juggler. The act always comes to an end. Learn to juggle your life, because the show must go on. Next time, we'll talk about what to do when you have more potential than your job offers. It's a response to one of our listeners. Alright, and until then, here's to your big success. [MUSIC]