I heard this theory years ago but never truly understood it until I became a mom. If you’ve never heard of this theory let me give you a little background. This theory is all about juggling your priorities. Some of the balls you are juggling are glass and if you were to drop one it would be devastating and very difficult to put back together, Now some of the balls you are juggling are plastic and if you were to drop them they would bounce or roll and you could easily pick them back up and continue juggling.

These glass and plastic balls represent different areas of your life. They could represent your family, your social life, your work, your fitness, your “me time,” your kids, your home the list goes on and on. You get decide what you are currently juggling and which balls are plastic and glass. Now just because one of your balls is currently plastic doesn’t mean it won’t be glass at some point in your life, and the visa versa. Depending on the season you’re in your priorities may change. For some work will always be a glass ball and for others it will always be plastic, and then for some it will depend on the season they are in.

For me my glass balls were always my family, my work, my dogs, my home, my “me time”, my workouts and my plastic balls were my friends, my social life and anything else that happened to be going on at the time. As you can see my glass balls far outweighed my plastic ones and I was constantly struggling with finding the balance. I was always overwhelmed and could never find time. That was until I became a mom and time was the last thing I had. I quickly realized that I had to re prioritize my life. Keeping the house cleaned and organized was no longer a glass ball, being put together everyday no longer a glass ball. Now my glass balls were my daughter. If you’re new around here my daughter was born 8 weeks early and we spent 3.5 weeks in the NICU at the hospital. My priorities had to change. I had so much I wanted to do but I quickly realized all the things I wanted to do were plastic balls in comparison to taking care of our daughter. Most of my days were spent at the NICU just holding her or watching her. Especially in those early days when we could only hold her a couple hours a day and that wasn’t in one sitting it had to be broken up, I constantly felt like I was useless. I thought if I can’t help her I should be working or running errands or doing something! I kept trying to fill my day with fluff stuff and plastic balls when my priority needed to be my only glass ball – our daughter.

It took some time and a lot of people reminding me it was okay if the only thing I did that day was cuddle with her. Since high school I can remember telling myself “I’m superwomen” whenever I would feel stressed or overwhelmed and needed to put my head down and get it done. It was my way to hype myself up. I would also make a to do list with 50 things on it and actually think I could achieve it in 24 hours. Then at the end of the day when I only got 20 things checked off I would beat myself up. Since becoming a mom I have completely let it all go and we are focusing on surviving. Yes I love when the dishes are done, the laundry is put away, the house is clean and I’m put together but right now that just isn’t realistic. Our daughter is sleeping for a few hours at a time, and we are getting very minimal sleep. The laundry is piled up in every room, or has been left in the washer/dryer for over 24 hours, the dishes are stacked in the sink, the dishwasher needs to be emptied. The floors haven’t been vacuumed in a while, and I know there is a million other things that could be done but right now my daughter needs me 24/7 and she truly is glass. She cannot change her own diaper, heat up her bottle, take herself to doctors appointments etc. And she needs my attention/care so she is my glass ball. My only glass ball. Now that doesn’t mean that is all I do on an everyday basis, I just make sure she is taken care of before anything else. The chores can wait, the work can wait, the errands can wait – the world can wait. In this current season of my life I have one glass ball. It won’t be like this forever so rather than wish it away thinking about everything I “should” do, I am embracing it. My work, social life, organization/cleanliness of the house, my fitness routine, being put together daily are all plastic balls. Now that doesn’t mean there aren’t days, where I do my hair, put on a cute outfit and do my makeup to leave the house. It doesn’t mean I say no to every BBQ or dinner out. But it does mean they aren’t my priority. If it fits into my day and my daughter is taken care then absolutely bring it on! Just some days my to do list is: Feed Elizabeth, Snuggle Elizabeth, Change Elizabeth’s Diaper (and that’s enough) We’ll see what the next season of life brings for me and which of my priorities are glass or plastic.

Now maybe you’re a new mom and you can really resonate with my story, or maybe you’re an entrepreneur building your business, or maybe you are ________. No matter what stage of life you’re in we all have our glass balls and our plastic balls. Now it’s your turn to think about what you are currently juggling and which of your balls are plastic/glass. If you’ve never thought about this before and have no idea where to start - I encourage you to write down everything you currently have on your plate. Even if it seems small include it. Now sort your priorities. Which balls will shatter if you drop them and which will bounce?

Truly take your time with this exercise, it can be easy to say they’re all glass or all plastic, but really think about what your priorities are in this stage of life. This is your time to be selfish, don’t think about what your priorities SHOULD be or what your parents/friends/boss/spouse thinks. What are YOUR glass balls?

Xo Meg