A Simple Intermission

I personally think of an intermission as a long vacation on a beach, a good book, family and lots of free time. This past weekend reminded me that there is such a thing as a "power intermission." Usually my Saturdays are filled with "To Dos" around the house. I usually end the day physically exhausted and pay for it the next day.

This last Saturday I did something different. I spent a few hours in the morning doing a few odd jobs but then our family got away. We spent the afternoon at a cabin in the mountains. We watched a movie, threw some burgers on the grill, I took a nap, read a book and played a board game with my wife and daughters. Sunday was relaxing as well. I was very surprised what a difference it made on Monday. I had more energy. I was rested. I felt mentally prepared for the week. A Power Intermission! It worked for me... it might work for you.

Acting With Purpose Has Consequences

Tiger Woods, arguably the best golfer in the world, recently won the US Open. Not a surprise, except that he had knee surgery earlier this year and had not been cleared by his doctor to play. Tiger did not heed his doctor's advice, played in the tournament, and won... and lost. Tiger re injured his knee and will now miss the rest of the 2008 season. Mistake? No. Not if his clear purpose was to win the US Open.

One of our most passionate points in Juggling Elephants is that we must act with purpose to accomplish those things that are most important to us. We just can not get everything done and accomplish all that life offers us. We must pick and choose the most important things. The flip side of that strategy is that acting with purpose also means we will "lose" something in the pursuit of those most important things.

I talked with a business owner last week who said, "My business has not been as successful as some would say it could have been over the years, but I wasn't willing to sacrifice more time away from my family. I'm happy with how things have turned out." Again, acting with purpose has rewards-and consequences.

What about you? If you acted with purpose more often, what would you gain? And what would you lose? And would the win be worth the loss?

International Juggling Elephants

A surprise in the mail last week! We received four unique copies of Juggling Elephants. Our publisher sent us the Korean, Japanese, Spanish and UK version of Juggling Elephants. Interestingly enough, the title, "Juggling Elephants" didn't translate well into Korean so the title is First. We are looking forward to seeing versions in Chinese-simple, Chinese-complex, Dutch, Portuguese, and Indonesian.

It is clear that individuals and organizations world-wide are struggling with "getting it all done." You can go to http://www.jugglingelephants.com/resources/
international.asp and see the covers of these editions. Stay tuned for other foreign editions as they become available.

Goodbye Tim Russert

I am a big Tim Russert fan. Like many people I was saddened by his early death. I spent some time watching the news and MSNBC as they paid tribute to this wonderful man. What has really impressed me were the consistent comments from a variety of people interviewed stating that Tim knew how to have a balanced "circus."

He was a very successful journalist but time and time again there were stories on how he slipped out to meet his son Luke for a ball game or left early just to be home when his son arrived home from school. Stories of his devotion to taking care of his father, his great relationships with those he worked with and his attention to his religious faith. It seems to me Tim Russert knew the purpose of his circus and focused on what really mattered to him. He worked hard but didn't let that get in the way of his "other rings." I saw separate interviews from Matt Lauer and Maria Shriver and both mentioned advice that Tim had given them individually on the importance of family and taking care of the family along with career. He was a tough, hard hitting journalist but he showed people that he cared for them individually.

As I personally struggle with "getting it all done," I appreciate examples of people like Mr. Russert who, with their silent actions say, "It is OK to make a stand and be the ringmaster of my circus. I am leaving work early today to catch a ball game with my son!" They take care of the important and the rest takes care of itself. We send our best wishes out to the family and friends of Tim Russert. He will be greatly missed.

Juggling Elephants at ASTD

We recently returned from being a part of the American Society of Training and Development (ASTD) International Expo. It was a great experience for us and we really enjoyed talking with existing and potential clients. It became very clear and reaffirmed to us that organizations and individuals are really struggling with work/life balance and "juggling" too many priorities. People would stop right in the middle of the isle and say, "You know, that is exactly what it feels like! I am juggling elephants."

We also learned that many trainers are looking for a fresh and more engaging methodology to deliver content on time management, work/life balance issues and productivity. Juggling Elephants gives them that tool.

We look forward to working with organizations as they try to "get their acts together" and help their employees "be the ringmasters of their work and life."