Do you ever feel like you are the juggler in the 3-ring circus? You have all the balls in the air! You are doing great!
Then someone throws another ball into the mix.
No problem, you are still doing it! Keep going!
And another ball gets added. And another one.
You’ve got this. You’re doing it. You’re doing it.
And then you are NOT! All the balls drop and scatter!
What do you do?
Frantically search for all the balls.
Attempt to start juggling all of them, all at the same time.
Swear loudly.
Sound familiar? How often do we tell ourselves...
We have to keep going.
We cannot miss a beat.
Really, what will others think of me dropping even one ball, let alone the entire batch! {gasp}
Social “norms” push us to hustle, hustle, hustle and compare ourselves to the Insta-worthy jugglers. So yeah, dropping a few balls or worse yet, all the balls can feel horrible.
What if we took advantage of that moment when the balls are scattered?
What if we paused to reflect on our situation?
What if we took time to catch our breath?
And then, consciously choose which balls we want to juggle.
I feel like I have been juggling non-stop for the last year ~~ work challenges, job changes, new businesses, selling and buying homes, supporting a young adult kid, supporting aging parents, and the list goes on. So much to juggle and keep moving!
Last week, we finally closed on our much smaller home. {Yay for a simpler lifestyle! But that’s another post} While this move brought some relief. It also left me feeling a bit disoriented and let down. They say the sudden stop is what gets you and that is exactly what I felt. I had spent so much time prepping, moving, showings, etc. I thought, “I have to keep going!”. But I lost momentum and dropped all my balls!
But then I realized the gift I was given, the pause. That space between the hustle when I can reflect on the experience of the move, celebrate our new home, and live in the moment. Relishing in this pause, gave me time to appreciate our new home and thoughtfully begin to explore what new activities I want to add to my juggling act, like remodeling!
Many significant life changes can trigger these feelings of disorientation or let down ~~ new job, leave a job, new relationship, leave a relationship, have a baby, your child goes off to college, news of a medical condition, death of a loved one. The changes are as unique as we are and just as plentiful.
So, what can we do in these situations?
Give yourself permission to take a pause.
Take a breath.
Savor the moment of quiet.
Take time to simply be.
In this moment ~~ this pause, you gain perspective and time to reflect on where you have been, celebrate your successes, and learn from your past. You set a clear vision for where you want to go next. Once you have set your direction, you can explore each activity/goal/ball.
Which ones will help you on your path? For those consider how you want to interact with them, how much time and energy do you need to devote to that specific activity.
Which ones will only get in your way, trip you up? Set those a side for now or toss them completely as they do not warrant your time and energy.
We are all jugglers! It’s your choice as to decide ~~
Which balls you want to juggle?
How you want to respond when the balls drop?
How you can relish the pause?
Just know, you will drop some, or all, at some point.
It is part of life. It is our learning moment.
Savor the pause before you jump back into the ring!
If these questions or topics intrigue you and you want to explore with me, schedule a free 30-mintue consultation. You can also join my mailing list below to keep in touch.