Juggling Elephants Blog

Kelly Ripa is a busy mom. While she is currently the co-host of the popular morning show, Live with Regis & Kelly, she has also pulled triple duty as a star on a soap opera and a sitcom. With that kind of schedule it would be easy to be overwhelmed, especially when you add the roles of mother and spouse.

How does she keep her wits about her as a parent? Here's one of her comments from a recent issue of WebMd Magazine:
Basically, it's my philosophy that doing the easy thing in the short term makes it harder for parents in the long run. Giving in when you want to say 'no' quiets things down momentarily, but you'll just have more of the same-and then some-down the road," says Ripa. "I'm big on letting my kids know exactly what to expect. I think children are consistency junkies; they need schedules and parameters, and it's up to us to provide them."

In other words, Be the ringmaster by acting with purpose and staying with the lineup you know will bring the desired results. Read the entire article at:
http://www.webmd.com/parenting/features/kelly-ripas-take-on-mothering

Labels: ringmaster

On the way to a program in Dallas, Texas I recently read an article about Identity Theft. But this article took a different slant on the topic. The author spoke not of someone stealing our credit card numbers and social security numbers but of the loss of our personal goals, dreams, potential and identity.

Sometimes we try to be someone we are not or we forget our potential and settle for mediocrity. I am all for bettering myself but sometimes we should not be afraid to be ourselves and follow our own goals. We need to identify our personal "purpose" and then wrap our daily, weekly, monthly, yearly and lifetime activities around that purpose. We should not be afraid to dream and push ourselves to achieve. We are faced with a lot of negative "self-talk" and it is easy lose that identity that we should have. I encourage each of us to continue to remind ourselves of our potential, standards that we set for ourselves and not be afraid to reach for the stars. After all, we ARE the Ringmaster of OUR circus.

Labels: purpose

A recent article by Jeff Stimpson entitled, "The New Equilibrium: Work-Life Balance" brought to my attention some innovative policies that companies have put in place to help employees deal with the issue of work-life balance. Policies such as:

• Flexible work hours such as offering longer work days resulting in shorter work weeks (4 day work weeks)


• Allow employees to come in later and stay longer (adjusting schedule to school and daycare hours)


• Three days of paid funeral leave, generous paid time-off, and the ability to work offsite


• Offering Blackberries with combined cell phone service to anyone who requests them enabling instantaneous call forwarding and message retrieval providing the ability for off-site work to be completed from anywhere with Internet access


• Offering part-time hours for employees and/or work-sharing


• On-site babysitting/childcare


• Three to six months of parental leave after childbirth – (yes, this goes for Father's too)


• Providing childcare on Saturdays during busy season and allowing employees the option to take time off (comp. time) instead of being paid overtime

If your organization does not have policies or programs in place to assist with the growing work-life balance issue, take the opportunity to bring up the issue with your boss or place a note in the suggestion box. Organizations that have work-life balance programs are finding that recruitment and employee retention increases thus offsetting the potential cost. It also makes sense that employees would be more focused and productive.

Labels: work/life balance

After a Juggling Elephants program a few weeks ago, someone gave me this great quote:

If you can't prioritize, everything becomes a crisis.



I got this hilarious picture of a circus where someone would say, "Let's see the animal act," and everyone would race around getting it into the ring. When the act was over, they would talk again and someone would say, "How about the trapeze act?," and everyone would once again move frantically around the floor trying to get the act ready as soon as possible. The ringmaster is stressed because they know that any minute of performance lost creates a less than enthusiastic audience. And the performers are frustrated because they have no idea what to do next.



What's your circus like when you fail to prioritize? Chances are, it's not your best performance.

Labels: prioritizing, scheduling

This poem is an oldie but a goodie:

"Around the corner I have a friend,
In this great city that has no end;
Yet days go by, and weeks rush on,
And before I know it, a year is gone.
And I never see my old friend's face,
For Life is a swift and terrible race...
But tomorrow comes-and tomorrow goes,
And the distance between us grows and grows.

Around the corner!-yet miles away...
'Here's a telegram, sir...'
'Jim died today.'
And that's what we get, and deserve in the end:
Around the corner, a vanished friend."
--Charles Hanson Towne


Poems and songs like this (think "Cats in the Cradle") hit home with some of us. We get caught up in the "terrible race" and before we know it, time has come and gone. Call that person that you haven't talked with for years. Spend time in the relationship ring! Before it is too late.

Labels: relationships

"Do It Yourself." It's a mantra shared by many of us as we seek to reduce the cost of auto repair, home improvement or even tasks within a small business.

Bruce Johnson, author of 50 Simple Ways to Save Your House, asks himself three questions before taking on a project-or leaving it to a pro:

• Do I have the time?


• Will the job require specialized tools and skills?


• Is there a safety risk?

What difference would that make if you did the same before attempting to add a "do it yourself act" to your lineup?

Labels: delegation, focus

I had to laugh. The article got my attention when it said, "Running behind the clock?" The main point in the article was that driving faster to get somewhere quicker was relatively futile. The statistic given by the National Traffic Safety Institute was that if you drive 10 miles at 7o mph versus 55 mph, you only save 55 seconds-less than a minute!

One solution I have found that works is to call the person expecting me for the meeting if I know I am going to be late. When telling my anticipated arrival time (after apologizing for being tardy), I normally add a 10-15 minute cushion. Two benefits are created. One is that if there are any other traffic tie ups or delays, I'll still be on time. The second benefit is that if I don't encounter any more delays, I'll actually arrive "earlier" than anticipated and they will be pleased.

Labels: driving, time management

Labels: planning, ringmaster

Last week I had a conversation with someone who is definitely "struggling to get it all done." The twist was that while they had lots of acts going on in their work ring, they just didn't have some of the RIGHT ones. They were busy, but not bringing the right tasks into their lineup to improve their business over the long term.

It became very clear that my role was to listen. When they finished their verbal download, I simply asked one question: "If you could perform only one task at work tomorrow that could have a major impact on the success of your business, what would it be?" While I expected a litany of items, he just replied, "I need to make a phone call." And he did.

The enthusiasm I heard in his voice after the phone call was wonderful! While he has not worked out the details yet, at least he has new hope for his business-and his circus.

What is the one small thing you could do today that could have a big impact on one or more of the areas of your life?

Labels: goal setting, planning, priorities

While having my car serviced the other day, I waded through the stack of magazines on the table, looking for something of interest. I found an issue of AARP magazine (yes, the one for retired peope) with an interesting article entitled, Never Get Sick! While I don't plan on being retired for at least two decades, I did see value in learning from those who have lived longer, healthier lives.The article gave 6 ways to increase your immunity and safeguard your health. The six given were:

• Smile when you say that. Research suggests 15 minutes of laughter daily may help prevent a heart attack.
• Bring up Bowser. Owning a pet has been shown to create lower cholesterol levels and improve recovery after heart attacks, even when exercise among both groups was the same. Even watching fish has been shown to reduce stress levels and the onset of Alzheimer's deterioration.
• You snooze-you win. Restful sleep is a key component of a person's overall well-being.
• Read a book. Keep your mind as sharp as possible.
• Read a label. Pay attention to the labels on the food you eat. When eating, realize that different flavor categories stimulate different brain cells. The more cell areas stimulated in a meal, the more food you need to eat to feel full. (Article explained that's why you can be full of meat and potatoes but somehow still have room for dessert.)
• Gaze at your navel. Practice tai chi, which improves flexibility and mood. Practice meditation. These are ways to improve your body's immune system.

Labels: health, longevity, stress reduction