The Work-Life Juggle

Journey to Esquire: The Blog

The Work-Life Juggle    ​

Keeping all the (Glass) Balls in the Air 

by Joseline J. Hardrick  on November 22, 2019.

I recently attended an event called Staying in the Game: Inclusion without Boundaries organized by the Tampa Bay Chapter of the Federal Bar Association.  Like every other time I have attended these great events, I learned something new. A judge,while moderating a panel discussion, discussed balancing work and life in a way I have never heard before. She talked about juggling glass and rubber balls, and described a specific incident where she appeared to have it altogether, but actually did not on that day. 

The Juggle
I looked up the phrase and found that Bryan Dyson, then the President and CEO of Coca-Cola Enterprises, delivered a commencement speech at Georgia Tech. His insight is as valuable today as it was then.

"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. You must understand that and strive for balance in your life."

Using Time Effectively
This visualization exercise is a great analogy for using your time effectively. Sure, we think we are “managing” our time. But the truth is, time comes and goes, no matter what we choose to do with our day. We actually have no control over it, only how we experience time. We sit at work doing boring and tedious task, time moves slowly and it feels like five o’clock will never arrive. We go to a milestone event for a child, like a pre-Kindergarten graduation (which I recently attended for my son), and we feel like time is flying, where did it go?  So we must be mindful to use our time wisely. 

         1. Rubber Balls vs. Glass Balls
The glass balls represent those things we should spend most of our thinking, planning and doing time. The rubber balls represent those things we would like to do but if we let them go, we can recover, because they bounce back.  What are the glass balls in your life? Those precious things without which life is less bearable, loving and devoid of joy? Is it your health, spirituality, love, affection, contribution to others, growth in mind and body? It will vary from person to person, and even for the same person in different phases of one's life.

Identify them early, before they get cracks in them and are more likely to shatter. And ask for help!   As another speaker at the event, who is a quadriplegic who overcame lack of access to basic  resources to get through his day growing up stated, you must humble yourself, and learn how to  ask for what you need.  You’ll be surprised at how many people are willing to help.

        1. All Glass is Destructible
The heavier the glass is, the more pieces into which it will shatter. Some of those glass balls are thinner and more fragile than others and will shatter into a million little pieces if dropped (think of your child as a newborn).  While others, i.e. more tempered glass may break in large chunks, or create a spider web like pattern but maintain their integrity and can get fixed (think of a toddler constantly falling and getting injured but recovering quickly). But all glass is destructible. 

Conclusion 
Inevitably, even very strong glass will break under too much force, and this breaking can release huge amounts of energy capable of causing serious damage and injury. So make sure you identify the glass balls in your juggle, keep them in the air, and let the rubber balls bounce where they may. 

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Our great 2L interns help  us to run the program while learning how to run a nonprofit organization and developing the "power" skills needed to become lawyers who lead, mentor and inspire.
​Thanks to Ray Petty, Jr. (podcast), Damian Rape (modules), Abigail O. Dean (blog), and Shannon C. Walker (social media). 

Journey To Esquire: The Podcast will be released in January 2020! 

by Joseline J. Hardrick  on November 22, 2019.
​
So excited about the upcoming release of Journey to Esquire: The Podcast in January 2020! We have so many great guests, like John Schifino and Sarah Lahlou-Amine, Haley Moss, Daniela Mendez, Joann Grages Burnett and Jared Krukar. Stay tuned for details!  ​Which logo do you like the best? Let us now on social media @JourneytoEsq. 

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