Juggling Our Personal and Professional Priorities, Mysticism, reading, forums, Numerology, Sun Signs, Divination

Posts: 5109 · Posted: Sat Mar 20, 2010 10:17 am

Juggling Our Personal and Professional Priorities

You may have heard the story about the analogy of the “circus juggler” to each of us as we try to balance our personal and professional priorities. I have heard the story repeated by many keynote speakers and have used it in previous books, but have never been able to trace the identity of the original author.

When the circus juggler drops a ball, he lets it bounce and picks it up on the next bounce without losing his rhythm or concentration. He keeps right on juggling. Many times we do the same thing. We lose our jobs, but get another one on the first or second bounce. We may drop the ball on a sale, an opportunity to move ahead, or in a relationship, and we either pick it up on the rebound or get a new one thrown in to replace what we just dropped.

However, some of the balls or priorities we juggle don’t bounce. The more urgent priorities associated with self-imposed deadlines and workloads have more elasticity than the precious, delicate relationships which are as fragile as fine crystal. Balance involves distinguishing between the priorities we juggle that bounce from the ones labeled “loved ones,” “health,” and “moral character” that may shatter if we drop them.

The reason I always ask my seminar attendees to list the benefits of reaching their goals is so they can arrange them in the true order of importance to them, and give them a sufficient amount of attention as they juggle them within their time constraints.

Handle your priorities with care. Some of them just don’t bounce!

—Denis Waitley

2. The Champion Within Article
Overcoming the Fear of Rejection by Dr. Denis Waitley

To conquer your fear of rejection, you need to handle the word “no” in a constructive way. When people turn you down after a presentation, you have to interpret the “no” as “no, this is not right for me now.” We also can interpret “no” as meaning, “I need to know more about this opportunity or the products before I can say yes.”

I look at the service I offer to others as a gift that almost everyone desires. It’s like a nutritious dessert. What if waiters or waitresses in a restaurant said to customers at their tables: “Would you like our special strawberry parfait for dessert? It’s the best in the world!” And they were told “no” by their patrons, three out of five times.

Would they go to their manager, throw up their hands and quit, lamenting, “They don’t like me or my strawberry parfait”? Of course they wouldn’t. They’d go on about their business, thinking the patrons had missed out on something delicious.

That’s why I treat products as a gift, much more nutritious and beneficial than a fruit dessert. But what is being rejected is the presentation, not the presenter. When I can separate my self-esteem from offering the products or business opportunity, I can live with rejection and look for ways to get a positive response more often.

When you experience rejection, that’s the time to network with mentors and role models. It’s also the time to listen to upbeat music and read articles like this, to attend meetings and conference calls, and to hang around with optimists and winners.

There are basically four things we do in selling our products and services, and only four. We use the products and services ourselves, we talk to people about the products and services, we talk to people about the financial benefits we offer, and we coach them to refer us to others who do the same thing. First, we are coachable and willing to learn something new every day. Then, we become coaches. All you really need to move up to the next level is have faith in yourself.

To laugh is to risk appearing the fool. To weep is to risk appearing sentimental. To reach out for another is to risk involvement. To expose your feelings is to risk revealing your true self. To place your ideas and dreams before a crowd is to risk rejection. To love is to risk not being loved in return. To live is to risk dying. To hope is to risk despair. To try is to risk failure. But risks must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing at all. People who will risk nothing do nothing, have nothing, and become nothing. They may avoid suffering and sorrow, but they cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love or live. Chained by their certitudes, they are trapped.

They have forfeited their freedom. Only a person who risks is truly free. And one last idea you can live and believe: the more you give, the more you’ll receive.

3. Seeds of Greatness
Being Self-Reliant

To be self-reliant adults, we need to set some guidelines:

* Be different, if it means higher personal and professional standards.
* Be different, if it means being more gracious and considerate to others.
* Be different, if it means being cleaner, neater and better groomed than the group.
* Be different, if it means putting more time and effort into all you do.
* And be different, if it means taking the calculated risk.

The greatest risk in life is to wait for and depend upon others for your own security.

The greatest security is to plan and act, and take the risk that will ultimately ensure your personal freedom and independence.

—DW

4. The Winner's Edge Coaching Tips

Remember the lobster! At a certain point in a lobster’s growth, he discards his outer, protective shell and is vulnerable to all of his enemies. This continues until he grows a new “house” in which to live.

Change is normal in life. With every change there is the unfamiliar and the unexpected. Instead of going into a shell, become vulnerable. Risk it! Reach inside for faith in things that are unseen.

So this week, come out of your shell, take that leap of faith and reap the rewards of greater optimism and self-esteem!

—DW