Thursday, October 27, 2005

The Story of the Five Balls

The Story of the Five Balls - from "Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas" by James Patterson

Imagine life is a game in which you are juggling five balls. The balls are called
  • Work,

  • Family,

  • Health,

  • Friends, and

  • Integrity.

And you're keeping all of them in the air.

But one day you finally come to understand that Work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back.

The other four balls -- Family, Health, Friends, Integrity -- are made of glass. If you drop one these, that ball will be irrevocably scuffed, nicked, perhaps even shattered. And once you truly understand the lesson of the five balls, you will have the beginnings of balance in your life.



I know I need to get more BALANCE in my life. I hope I will remember this.

I also know a lot of people are all working very hard for the company. And while we hope that these work activities become something positive, we all need to have this BALANCE and to a certain extent, set some limits. I have witnessed a couple of the team members on various projects go beyond their own limits, which then creates a new set of problems in getting a project done.

So, let’s remember the lesson of the Five Balls.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hi Tom,
That is a great story. And I am trying to follow it. I also wanted to thank you for the book you gave me for my birthday, now that I have all the time I read it and more over enjoyed it. Thank's.
Take care and don't drop the ball.
Klaus