Lawrence Tynes Is A Super Bowl Winner

Lawrence Tynes is clear about the purpose of his circus, and he knows how to prioritize the acts in his lineup. He bases much of his lineup on two things-family, then football. In that order.

Tynes is the kicker for the New York Giants, who will face the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl on Sunday. He had worked extremely hard to build his career in two foreign football leagues and the Kansas City Chiefs prior to signing with the NY Giants for the 2007 season. The Summer would be a critical time for him to practice, preparing for his first training camp with the Giants. Truly a chance of a lifetime.

At about the same time, his wife Amanda was suffering through a difficult pregnancy that required her to be hospitalized. Her condition caused vomiting as many as 20 times per day. Tynes faithfully stayed by her side, even though he really should have been practicing to be prepared for training camp. One day she asked him, "Do you want to kick today?," knowing that his lack of practice could doom the career he had worked so hard to build. His response was amazing. He said, "I'll worry about that when the time comes. This [being with her] is my priority now. Everything will work out. I have faith that it will." Spoken like a true ringmaster who knows his circus.

His circus didn't go smoothly. His two boys were born with breathing problems and had to be hospitalized. Tynes struggled at training camp and the coaches even tried out other kickers, but Tynes kept working on his skills and insists that he was never worried. Even in the NFC Championship game he missed a last minute field goal that could have put the Giants ahead. He would get another chance in overtime. Facing a daunting 47 yard field goal in wind and bitter cold, Tynes headed onto the field even before the coach called the play. Wow-what confidence! A few seconds later, his kick was perfect, and the Giants were on their way to the Super Bowl.

On Sunday, his wife and two 6 month old boys will watch him perform in his "work ring." No doubt after the game is over, Lawrence Tynes will quickly return to his "relationship ring" and score a winning performance there as well.

Read the USA Today article at: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/giants/2008-01-29-tynes-nfl_N.htm

Just Improve "A Little"

A small idea as we look to improve ourselves in 2008 and beyond is to think "baby steps". We want to lose that extra 20 pounds by next week or write a novel by the end of the month. We want to improve relationships today and be perfectly organized in just 15 minutes. This can be overwhelming and not realistic.

But, something that does seem doable is to focus each day on just doing a little more, being a little better, doing one element of a big goal. A simple task can go a long way as you pace yourself for life’s marathon rather than a sprint. It might take a little longer but at least daily progress moves us closer to a great performance.

A Major Performance Tonight!

Today is recognized across the US as Family Day-A day to eat dinner with your children. According to CASA (Center for Addiction & Substance Abuse at Columbia University), research has consistently shown that children who eat dinner with their families at least 3 times per week are less likely to smoke, drink alcohol or use drugs.

That's not surprising. As a parent, the more time we spend in our "relationship ring" with our children, the more comfortable they are talking about any number of things. It's also a superb time for us to simply listen to them. I just spent the better part of 4 days with my 3 year old daughter and I can tell you that I have a much better understanding of her. Sure, I spend lots of time with my family members, but so often I am jumping from ring to ring instead of making my time with them the only act I am focused on at the moment.

May you bring a great performance into your relationship ring tonight-quality time with your family.

For more informaton on Family Day: http://www.casafamilyday.org/

Found The Book By Accident

We received this feedback about the book yesterday:

Our students are all non-traditional students who are juggling work, school, family and personal lives. Somehow they have added a fourth ring to their already busy circuses. We were planning a celebration for them for Non-Traditional Student week in early November and came up with the juggling act and circus theme. I searched for a book or prize we could use and found your book Juggling Elephants. I ordered several copies immediately and just finished reading it.

Your book will be perfect for our busy students. I love the lighthearted analogy to a really serious issue. I think we have all struggled with finding the balance and many of us have tried most to the time management methods. They work but they are not always fun. Your approach with the ringmaster who must learn to choose only quality acts, create the line up, and move quickly from ring to ring offers us a fun way to remember to pay attention to what is important.

Keep those comments coming!