Sharing The Message of Balance

A recent review of Juggling Elephants on Amazon highlighted the ease of sharing the strategies of the book with other people: Carole Roman writes:

Great little book about putting everything in your life into perspective. Oddly enough, I read the book last night and this morning ended up describing the methods to both my sons this morning. They were overwhelmed and complaining about all the crazy things going on, and the whole idea of changing yourself into the "ringmaster" resonated with both of them. The authors highlight the main ideas or concepts, which are all pretty much common sense, but useful to remember when we get swept up the the swirling circus of our lives. This book could be a lifeline to anyone who feels life spiraling out of control, and if they use the tools to focus, place the players to their best advantage and not get caught up in the impossible, it may find themselves sitting back and enjoying the show. Juggling Elephants is a crash course in finding your center and then strengthening it by taking command.

Thanks Carole!!!

Spreading The Message

Errin Baugh has a blog series entitled, "Inspiring You Forward." She recently wrote a post about Juggling Elephants. You can read it by clicking here. Thanks, Errin for sharing the message with others!

Skeptical But Now A Believer

We are always appreciative when someone reviews our book and posts their comments. Dan in Focus has an interesting and thorough review of Juggling Elephants. You can read it at http://bit.ly/wOYlR5.

Thanks Dan!

I get the book...now

I talked with a business associate last week who was so excited about Juggling Elephants. It was ironic because when he first received a copy of the book he was lukewarm to the strategies after reading it. So I asked him, "Why are you connecting so much more with the message now than when you first read the book?" His response was, "When I first read Juggling Elephants I was in a comfortable job and my wife did not work outside the home. My life was running smoothly. Now I am in a new job requiring a steep learning curve, my wife is working part-time and all of our children are in school. I am definitely juggling elephants in more than one area of my life."

His comments reflect similar experiences for me. There have been times I read a book, listened to a speaker or got a piece of advice that just didn't seem to fit the "season" of my work or life. Later, I found that information/advice to be of tremendous value when my circumstances had changed in some way.

What book might be of value for you to read again to gain new insights for your work or life?

The Go-Giver

I recently read The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann. I would highly recommend the book especially at this time in the world’s history. Without giving away the whole book the key "take away" for me was the important message of forgetting our self interests and putting others interest first. For me it is so easy to get caught up in my own little world and become consumed with what is happening to me and ignore those around me. The message is "Put others first and you will receive even more in return." It seems backwards but I believe it to be a correct principle.

I was told this story from a neighbor when I was growing up that illustrates this point very well. It was a cool Fall Saturday and my neighbor decided that he was going to clean out his garage. He dressed up in some old clothes (an army jacket and jeans) and pulled down all the boxes in the rafters. While going through the boxes, he found a coat that was in really good shape. After finishing with the garage, he decided to jump in his car and drive down to the homeless shelter and donate the coat. He dropped off the coat at the shelter and as he was walking back to his car someone approached him with a bag of groceries. The person said, "You really look like you need these groceries." (Remember, he had been working in the garage all day, was dirty and wearing old clothes). The person handed my neighbor the food and walked away. It so caught him off guard that he couldn't think fast enough to get the words out to explain that he was not in need. He could only think to say, "Thank you!" to the person who was now halfway down the street. He turned around, walked back to the shelter and found someone that needed the groceries. But this time as he walked back to his car he had a lump in his throat as he thought about the kindness that he had been shown.

Stop and talk with a neighbor who is working in their yard, read a book to a child, be a "general manager" and consider the specific needs of those around you. Volunteer on a regular basis, turn off the TV and talk with your family, pick a charity to donate to every month (even if it is $5). Be a giver, not someone who is always taking.