I am amazed whenever I watch an expert juggler, juggling different objects like balls, oranges and even stuff like flaming torches.

It is fascinating how they toss stuff into the air and catch it one after another while keeping one in the air all the time.

If you want to juggle you can’t learn by throwing 5 objects in the air all at once. You start with two objects, and once you are comfortable you add one more object.

Life is the same. It is a juggling act that we can’t opt-out of. If we live, we need to juggle different balls like self, friends, family, relationships, health, work, beliefs, emotions, and civic responsibilities. It is a tough juggling act because all these are different unlike a juggling act where the juggler juggle the balls or objects that are similar. Here everything is different.

You can’t master all these at one go. You start with one or two, get good at handling those and add another to the mix.

And, you need to understand that there are certain balls in life (like relationships and health) that you can’t afford to drop. If you do there may be dire consequences.

In the old days, different parts of life were dedicated to different goals. The first 25 years were for growth, gaining new life and social skills and gaining knowledge. The next 25 years were all about living in the world, contributing to the world and taking care of worldly duties. The second half of life was about spiritual pursuits.

The modern world does not have such a system. But even without it, we can learn to juggle the responsibilities of life. Doing it one by one and starting with the balls that you know well is the way to succeed at it.

So, which life balls do you already have under control?