The Sport of Spinning (Plates, That Is)

Do you ever feel as if you are in the center ring with all eyes on you? You start spinning one plate and you do just fine. Then someone tosses you another one. You manage to spin both of them with style and finesse. Another one. Another one. Now you are balancing four spinning plates and the music starts to build. Sweat forms on your brow. Another spinning plate, and you manage to keep them all up in the air. Another one. Another one. Another one. You’ve got them spinning off of your head, hands, arms, knees, even one foot. How long can you keep this up? Well, with the right skill and effort, you could do it for a lifetime!

I’ve never seen anyone who can spin plates better than a driven homemaker. Of course, I’m not talking about spinning actual plates. I’m talking about the hundreds of activities that we have going on simultaneously. I’ve seen women stagger with one plate and then I’ve seen women who seem to spin innumerable ones with grace and confidence. What’s the difference? By and large the champion plate spinners have a few things in common.

They Over-Commit
That may sound strange, but I have found that when you commit to do more you are miraculously able to do more than you commit to. Consciously or subconsciously, you begin to manage your time and energy better out of necessity. Spinning three plates is nothing after you forced yourself to learn how to spin twenty. It’s like the mom of triplets. Once she has managed life with three babies she couldn’t even imagine how easy it would be just to have one. Life isn’t supposed to be easy. It’s supposed to be exciting. Go ahead. Dedicate yourself to do more than you think you can. You will surprise yourself with your amazing ability.

They Write It Down
The best spinners always carry some kind of planner or notebook with them at all times. Instead of leaving room for error or confusion, they get the story straight and write it down precisely. Do we need snacks for the club meeting? On what day? How many? What time? What day to I purchase them? I always have a legal pad with me. I’ve even carried it into the bathroom (where I get some of my best ideas!). Get the facts and write them down. Once you see it in black-and-white, you are committed to fulfill it. Now you can wipe that “to do” out of your head because it’s on paper. Now it just becomes a matter of follow-through.

They Piggyback Plates
You can spin ten plates when they are all stacked up together. That’s the art of piggybacking. If you have to run to the grocery store, then you can also drop off the cleaning, mail a package, pick up the paint that you need for the project next week (you wrote it down in your planner), and take in thirty minutes at the park with the kids. You will hardly ever see champion plate spinners just going out for a shopping spree. If they need to purchase an item, they will consolidate about five other activities within the same area and probably even use the cell phone to knock out some of the calls they need to make while they are in transit. Learn to piggyback your activities and your errands and you will double, triple, and infinitely multiply your effectiveness.

They Don’t Mess Around With Fluff
Champion plate spinners don’t have the time or patience to mess around with all of the fluff. They are on the road to success and accomplishment. They don’t slow themselves down with things like ridiculous television shows, unnecessary shopping, trying on everything in their closets to find one outfit, French manicures that chip after one day, time-consuming hairstyles, and all of the other things that seems so important to so many women. They streamline and go for their goals. They also realize that there are only 24 hours in a day. Time cannot be saved. It can only be spent. They want to spend it in the best and most fulfilling way possible. Fluff just doesn’t make the cut.

They Don’t Let A Broken Plate Stop The Flow
Failures and mistakes are going to happen. That’s just part of the game. We’re not meant to live comfortable lives. We’re meant to live challenging lives. And, trust me, the exhiliration of a challenge beats tucking yourself away in a safety net any old day. Not every plate is going to spin perfectly day in and day out. Plates will break. The pros never let these mishaps interrupt the flow of all of the other plates that are spinning. They accept it, pick up the pieces, and get on with life.