Perhaps a few of you will remember the old "Ed Sullivan Show." It was a staple of American entertainment when I was growing up. Every Sunday night, families would gather around the TV and watch a succession of variety acts, including one guy whose whole act was to spin china plates on top of long poles. By running back and forth across the stage, quickly rotating one pole or another, he was able to keep the plates from falling. I don’t think many people would find that very entertaining today; it’s too much like what we’re all doing in our daily lives.
This is especially true of women who run their own businesses. You know what the plates are: your work, your family, and yourself. Some of us have more plates than that. It’s easy to get so focused on the business that everything else, and everybody else, has to get in line. But is that a true reflection of your priorities? I’ve heard it said that very few people, at the end of their lives, wish they’d spent more time in the office. Now is the time to do something about that. Now is the time to decide which plates can fall.
If you’re like me, there are probably some things you do habitually that are not as necessary or important as you’ve made them. You can always buy a new set of dishes, but you can never get back the occasions, opportunities, and memories you missed. Careful evaluation and organization will help you find some things that can be eliminated, postponed, modified, or delegated. We all need to do it. (I’m talking as much to myself as to you.) The reward will be more time to spend on things and people that most enrich your life and nurture your soul.
This is especially true of women who run their own businesses. You know what the plates are: your work, your family, and yourself. Some of us have more plates than that. It’s easy to get so focused on the business that everything else, and everybody else, has to get in line. But is that a true reflection of your priorities? I’ve heard it said that very few people, at the end of their lives, wish they’d spent more time in the office. Now is the time to do something about that. Now is the time to decide which plates can fall.
If you’re like me, there are probably some things you do habitually that are not as necessary or important as you’ve made them. You can always buy a new set of dishes, but you can never get back the occasions, opportunities, and memories you missed. Careful evaluation and organization will help you find some things that can be eliminated, postponed, modified, or delegated. We all need to do it. (I’m talking as much to myself as to you.) The reward will be more time to spend on things and people that most enrich your life and nurture your soul.