Juggling the Balls of Life

In a commencement address at Georgia Tech in 1996, Brian Dyson, former vice chairman and COO of Coca Cola, said this:

"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."

Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life

Once upon a time the animals decided they should do something meaningful to meet the problems of the new world.  So they organized a school.  

They adopted an activity curriculum of running, climbing, swimming, and flying.  To make it easier to administer, all the animals took all subjects.

The duck was excellent in swimming.  In fact, he was better than his instructor was!  However, he made only passing grades in flying, and was very poor in running.  Since he was so slow in running, he had to drop swimming and stay after school to practice running.  This caused his webbed feet to badly worn so he became only average in swimming.  But "average" was quite acceptable, therefore nobody worried about it--except the duck.

The rabbit started at the top of his class in running, but developed a nervous twitch in his leg muscles because he had so much makeup work to do in swimming.

The squirrel was excellent in climbing, but he encountered constant frustration in flying class because his teacher made him start from the ground up instead of from the treetop down.  He developed "charley horses" from overexertion, so he only got a "C" in climbing and a "D" in running.

The eagle was a problem child and was severely disciplined for being a non-conformist.  In climbing classes, he beat all the others to the top, but insisted on using his own way of getting there!

By Charles Swindoll

PS.  There is a morale to all fables.  And so, you must be wondering what is the morale here.  We are talented in our given rights, and we will be happier when we try not to compete with others that are naturally more gifted in athletics, music, speech, or whatever it is.   Follow this simple rule: “Find a vacuum and expand in it.”  We all have a special mission in life.  The trick is finding out what it is.  

If

If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you

But make allowance for their doubting too,

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,

Or being hated, don't give way to hating,

And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,

If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

And treat those two impostors just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;

If all men count with you, but none too much,

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty second's worth of distance run,

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!

By Rudyard Kipling

Note from John C. Maxwell: Not only will you be a man--or woman--of integrity and wisdom, you will also benefit your people because you will be a better leader.