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Hi Reader,
Many of you are familiar with the glass-versus-rubber-ball analogy that continues to resonate with leaders since it was introduced in 1991. Most recently, Google CEO Sundar Pichai mentioned it in a speech that revived its popularity on LinkedIn.
Brian Dyson, former CEO of Coca-Cola, first shared this analogy in a commencement speech for Georgia Tech Institute on September 6, 1991. The five-balls-of-life idea is as relevant today as it was when he first spoke of it to his audience. Here’s an excerpt of his speech:
Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them work, family, health, friends, and spirit. And you’re keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls—family, health, friends, and spirit—are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged, or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for balance in your life.
Deciding which balls you keep juggling in the air is a great visual and technique to help you quickly distill what’s important when it comes to work-life choices—a concept that’s undergone even greater scrutiny, thanks to the better part of the last two years.
This is a great example of a "sticky visual," a metaphor so powerful that you remember it for the rest of your life. Continue reading as I share my own "sticky visual" and encourage you to do the same.
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