Are you the world's greatest juggler?

Do you ever get the feeling you've got way too many balls in the air? The job, that side project you're working on, that charity you've somehow volunteered you're going to arrange a cake sale for, the trips to the gym you have to make, the play dates you have to arrange for your kids plus the weekly visit to the in-laws. To the casual outsider it might look like you're the person who can do anything and everything without a moment's pause - others might describe you as capable and responsible and conscientious. Sound familiar?

The reality of it, however, is you feel it's all going to come crashing down around your ankles in spectacular fashion the minute you take your eyes off the balls, the moment you lose focus or pause for just a minute. Even though your mind and body may be crying out for you to do just that - stop - you don't. You keep on juggling.

The danger is that it all starts becoming overwhelming. When you're juggling that many balls, realistically, there's only so much focus and attention you can give each one. Add one more thing to juggle and your resources - your time, energy, patience - just get that much further stretched. Ultimately you end up giving less of yourself to more things. And when you give less of yourself, the results are usually less than satisfying. People start to complain - maybe your work isn't quite as polished as usual, your partner resents that you're not really connecting... and that negative feedback can make you feel that all you need to do is juggle harder and faster to keep everyone happy.

So, stop. Stop juggling for a moment. Take a minute to think of all the things you are doing, all the stuff you are keeping up in the air, sometimes by sheer willpower alone.

How much of this stuff is necessary?
How much of what you are juggling is fulfilling?
What can you let go of?
What would happen if you let go?

Sometimes the things we do have nothing whatsoever to do with what's important to us. We take on a project and never stop to evaluate months down the line, if that project is still valid, or we adopt a certain behaviour and stick with it, never realising that sometimes our behaviour no longer works in our current lives. A lot of what we do is because we think we should, not because we really want to.

Just for one day, allow yourself to drop a few of the things on your "have to do" list. You can always pick them up again tomorrow. If you're feeling motivated, think about what you could drop for a month. Or, even... what could you let go of forever?

Have a great week,

Dawn