Friday, March 11, 2011

The Art of Juggling

My daughter Sneezy is into sports. Like, way. Into. Them. Basketball, soccer, softball, track—she’ll try it all. And do it all. And be good at it.

Awesome, right? Except not always. We recently had to have a talk about how impossible it is for one person (me or her or anyone else) to be in two places at once. Because she has finally reached the point where that has become an issue. Thing is, it’s hard for anyone to dedicate themselves to two different teams. Even if the sports compliment each other in every physical way except practice times.

At some point, we all have to make hard choices like this. Where best to dedicate ourselves, to what team we give our all, and which pursuit will bring us the most happiness, or if not happiness, at least the best opportunity for success.

And it’s hard, you know? It really is hard to make that decision. Sneezy will probably have to choose between soccer and softball. One she truly loves, and the other is more popular among her best friends and would mean taking a fun out-of-town trip in the spring. Which one to choose?

I find myself at a similar crossroads. There’s this thing I love, writing, and it requires probably more than I’ve been able to give in the past, because I’ve been so busy taking care of a team I love (not my family—they’re always top priority). There was a point in time when I believed I could do both things, equally divide my time between them. But I have now reached a crossroads. I can still be a part of the team, just not the captain. Instead, I need to allow someone else a turn. Doing so will give me an opportunity to focus on my love, finish some projects I’ve started, and move forward in my career.

It’s completely possible to be equally good at two things. But in order to be the best at anything, most of us have to dedicate ourselves to just one at a time.

Like I told Sneezy, it’s not about being selfish. It’s about progressing to the next level.  About juggling the things in our lives to the best possible outcome. What do you think?

4 comments:

Windy Aphayrath said...

what a great post! very well said that there's no real way you can be everywhere at once and you can't always be everything to everyone. hopefully your daughter will discover that taking that step back will allow her to excel at what she chooses to do and still give her time to, oh, i don't know ... have a life ;)

Stacy Henrie said...

Great post and what a fantastic lesson for her to learn at a young age - I'm still trying to figure this out. :)

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

I gave up coaching about four years ago to spend more time on my writing and also to make sure I made all my children's athletic events. I miss it but I had to give up something.

Jemi Fraser said...

I do a lot of extra 'stuff' at my job that's very time consuming. I've cut back a bit this year, but it's still too much. I'm drained all the time and sadly, I'm going to have to cut back more next year. It's tough making decisions like that - I hope yours works out for the best.