The art of juggling: keep throwing the balls

Regular readers might be wondering how I'm getting on with the juggling project.  To be honest I'd put the juggling balls down for a while after my early progress in throwing not catching and moving up from a two to three ball throw. 

This was partly because external circumstances were squeezing out the time I had to practice juggling. But more than that I think I'd got to a plateau in my learning, stopping at the thrill of achieving the first three ball 'juggulation'.  Except I wasn't just resting on my laurels.  I couldn't work out how to move beyond the first juggulation to the wonder of a continuous juggling flow.

Gelb and Buzan recognise this as a common problem.  Here's their solution to the challenge of getting stuck at the end of the first juggulation.

"Having achieved your first juggulation, celebrate and be prepared to move on.  The secret is to keep the emphasis on throwing.  In order to progress, you must be willing to start dropping the balls again, raising yourself to a higher level of chaos."

So that's what I'm doing now.  I realised that I was kind of attached to the progress I'd made in the three-ball juggulation and didn't want to see the balls falling on the floor again.  I've got to let that go - or stop where I am.  I realised that in some way I'm stopping myself and I need to find a way to break, to disrupt, to interrupt that block with the repeated, continuing command to throw, throw, throw.

Believing that after a while the catching will take care of itself.

I know, I know, it doesn't take Einstein to read and apply the lessons from the art of juggling as a metaphor for life.  In fact, I'm constantly amazed by the relevance of each learning point for other areas of life, of work, of learning where I've got temporarily stuck.

The trick is deciding you're not going to stay there.  Not stopping after the first juggulation.  Moving on when you're stuck.  Resolving to keep throwing the balls.

Comments

[Emma Bird]

Thanks for the update, Joanna. And keep at it. You're going great guns.

Can we expect to see a career change sometime soon :-)

[Joanna Young]

Hi Emma, thanks for the encouragement. It is going well and I'm enjoying it - but as for a career change... I probably not quite ready:)

The Edinburgh Fringe is coming up soon with scope for busking galore, but I don't think I'd make a bean dropping my juggling balls on the Royal Mile (unless it was as a clown!)

Joanna

[Dean]

Hi Emma,

Just found your site from the Songs That Make Your Heart Sing list that Hilda Carroll at Living Out Loud put together.

I love to juggle. It's been awhile since I pulled out my balls and rings, but my kids get a kick out of watching me. Of course tricks get a bit sloppy when not practiced continuously.

Hmmm, juggling as metaphore for life events. What a concept.

Much success to you.

Dean

[Joanna Young]

Hi Dean, it's good to hear from you. I'm not actually Emma, though she is a generous commenter here. I think she's also better at juggling than me!

Thanks for the reminder to get the juggling balls out again, even if it's just to practice the art of allowing them to drop...

Joanna