When listening to business owners, I often hear them talking about feeling overwhelmed.

It can feel like you are juggling a million balls a once, client calls, employee needs, cash flow, business development…

But it’s not just business stuff; your son’s birthday is coming up, your car needs an oil change, you haven’t been on vacation in a year, when was the last time you had a physical, isn’t my anniversary coming up…

It’s no wonder you’re overwhelmed!

The balls aren’t all the same.

That overwhelmed feeling comes when you are trying to keep all the balls in the air and never let one drop – but not all the balls are the same.

Some balls are glass balls; when they fall to the ground, they shatter into a million pieces and can’t be repaired.

Some balls are more resilient; they may not shatter, but they nick or chip. If you drop them, they get damaged. Drop them enough, and they break.

Other balls are rubber, and they bounce (at least for a while). When they drop, you can go back and pick them up again later.

Letting some balls go

When you feel overwhelmed, stop for a minute and ask yourself which of these balls can bounce. What can I let go of, at least for a while, so that I can concentrate on not dropping any glass balls?

(Hint: Your son only has one birthday, but you are going to have hundreds of clients. 😉

It can be terrifying to let even one ball drop. I know, I’ve dropped thousands, and it scares me every time.

But it can be a huge relief when I slow down and look for just the glass balls. Setting priorities in this way makes those overwhelming days a little more doable.

Are you juggling some rubber balls that you can let bounce for a while? I’m giving you permission to let those suckers bounce!