On ‘JUGGLING YOUR LIFE PRIORITIES’ By Gertrude Nyatichi

A number of years ago, Bryan Dyson, then the President and CEO of Coca-Cola Enterprises, delivered a commencement speech at Georgia Tech. In...


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A number of years ago, Bryan Dyson, then the President and CEO of Coca-Cola Enterprises, delivered a commencement speech at Georgia Tech. In it, he discussed the difference between glass and rubber balls. His insight is as valuable today as it was then.

Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them – work, family, health, friends and spirit and you’re keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls – family, health, friends and spirit are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for balance in your life. How do you do so?

  • Don’t undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each of us is special.   
  • Don’t set your goals by what other people deem important. Only you know what is best for you.  
  • Don’t take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them as you would your life, for without them, life is meaningless.  
  • Don’t let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past or for the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live ALL the days of your life.  
  • Don’t give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.  
  • Don’t be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect. It is this fragile thread that binds us each together.  
  • Don’t be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.  
  • Don’t shut love out of your life by saying it is impossible to find. The quickest way to receive love is to give; the fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly; and the best way to keep love is to give it wings.  
  • Don’t run through life so fast that you forget not only where you’ve been, but also where you are going.  
  • Don’t forget that a person’s greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated.  
  • Don’t be afraid to learn. Knowledge is weightless, a treasure you can always carry easily.  
  • Don’t use time or words carelessly. Neither can be retrieved. Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way. Brian Dyson. former President and CEO of Coca-Cola Enterprises.

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This piece sends me straight to a world of thought. It is the thought of life, giving life meaning and what it takes to give this life meaning.

Each and every day, we are up early because we need to chase our dreams. In so doing, we are trying to give our life meaning and get the fulfilment that we seek tomorrow. It is unfortunate that sometimes we are so glued on the pursuit that we forget other aspects of life that add value and give true meaning too. Career women and men in families barely have family time. Children grow up not knowing their parents very well because they hardly see them. We focus more on tomorrow and totally forget about today and what makes it beautiful. Parents hardly see their children and if they get to show up at home, probably at death when they are no more. There is no time for social life, or even working on our fitness. Sad isn’t it?

Everything we do today is because of our tomorrow. We focus too much on tomorrow which at times, kills our living for today. Yes we cannot live just for today but we need to make each day count. Each new day is a tomorrow that we were worried about yesterday and once we face the day, we need to figure out if it is worth it; if it is worth yesterday’s sacrifice. We will have each day to look back and refer to. We should make each and every of our reference points count. To read more posts by Gertrude, click HERE  Source: Gertrude Nyatichi, and https://www.thebalance.com

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