Viewpoint
Viewpoint: What Kind of Juggler are You?
April 1st, 2009 | Posted by guestblogger
“Your embarrassment nerves must have been severed at birth.”
This is what a friend said after he heard how I joggled during the 1996 Chicago Marathon. He took the fact that I didn’t understand what he meant as more evidence he was right. And maybe he is. I don’t embarrass easily.
In that first marathon, there was no intention to do much joggling. The plan was to hold the bean bags until the last half mile, then cross the finish line juggling. It was supposed to be an exclamation point at the finish of a grueling run. It was also supposed to be funny.
But the start of the race was crowded and slow, so I started juggling to amuse the people around me. People asked if I was going to do it the whole way and I glibly said, “Of course.” I hadn’t practiced joggling and was surprised how easy it was. So, I continued. I joggled on and off for 19 of the 26 miles, had only 4 drops and felt great at the end.
It was during that marathon I realized, I am a joggler. My arms, legs, and mind were programmed to joggle. The bean bags floated in front of me and were not moved by a series of catches and throws, but merely directed through their pattern by the unconscious movement of my hands. In the subsequent years, joggling became ingrained in my brain and is now a fundamental part of my psyche. I am a joggler.
What kind of juggler are you?
Discovering what you “are” is one of the most liberating things that can happen to you and has a number of benefits. For example…
- It gives your life focus and direction
- It motivates you to get better
- It inspires excellence
- It makes you impervious to embarrassment & criticism
- It makes you feel happy
You should spend some time figuring out what kind of juggler you are. Are you a numbers juggler compelled to qualify higher and higher numbers? Is the diabolo your thing, or is it devil sticks, clubs, rings, or poi? Are you a sport juggler? A comedian? A clown? Or maybe you’re a joggler too. Your specific answer doesn’t matter. What matters is that you have an answer and then embrace it. Feel it. Be the kind of juggler that you are. Don’t worry about what other people think. It’s a decision only you can make.
I feel fortunate for accidentally discovering my joggling prowess. I often felt disappointed in myself because there was nothing at which I was great. I’m an above average runner but not even close to being a good or great runner. I’m an above average juggler but my skills pale in comparison to “real” jugglers.
Joggling amplified my skills in both areas and gave me the opportunity to be great.
Do what you like
Yes, joggling might be ridiculous. It might be the kind of thing that people mock and scorn. But that is true of any type of juggling. The important thing is what you think of yourself when you do the type of juggling that inspires you.
Remember, you do not get to pick what you are good at but if you find it, no matter how silly, go out and be great!
Viewpoint is an irregular feature where we invite guest bloggers to pen their thoughts about what they feel strongly about. Doing this honors on this post is Perry Romanowski, a scientist, writer, and world record holding joggler. You can learn more about joggling and people who do it at Just Your Average Joggler.com
April 1st, 2009
This was a very interesting post, and it reminds of the days when I discovered that I wanted to do 3 balls. Since then, it certainly has made me more centred and it definitely aided my improvement.