- Does your life feel like a 3-ring circus?
- Have the animals gotten loose?
- Does it feel like you are trying to juggle elephants?
“The result of juggling elephants is that no one, including you, is thrilled with the performance.”
James Loflin and Todd Musig have created a lighthearted guide with a heavy metaphor, Juggling Elephants: An Easier Way to Get Your Most Important Things Done—Now!
Sometimes, I do feel like my life is a circus: the animals have gotten loose, the crowd is heckling, and no one is listening to me. It’s a mob!
But wait says our author! In a well-run circus, you will find the animals lead by their trainers, crowds electrified and amazed, and all the acts communicating to create a great show.
This book uses the metaphor of the 3-ring circus as a way to organize your life and get things done. The rings represent your work, your relationships, and yourself. You need to pay attention to all 3 rings of your life and keep the acts moving like a well-run circus.
The story of Juggling Elephants has plenty of insights. For example:
- A ringmaster cannot be in all three rings at once.
- The ringmaster always reviews the next act before bringing it into the ring.
- The key to success of a circus is having quality acts in all three rings
Are you living the present moment? Are you present to which act you should be in right now and which act you should be paying attention to?
If not, step back and assess your circus and the acts that you have running in all your rings. Grab a piece of paper for each ring: work, relationships, self. On each paper, list the “acts” in each ring. Be the ringmaster, coordinate your acts for a good show.
For more advice from the circus, check out this short book. It’s a fun read or visit online jugglingelephants.com.
