Dropping Balls & the Big Picture

To say I have a full plate is an understatement some days. There are times I feel like I'm a waitress, carrying a tray where I keep sliding and shifting to keep everything from falling off. I think that's a good way to sum up, oh, the last six weeks of my life.

I've been busier at work, where I had only 15 hours of help a week versus 30 I had in the spring, plus several events in the fall we didn't have last year or held in the spring. I've been busier as a volunteer, not only with my board position on Junior League but also with projects for the Heart Association, my professional association, etc. I've been trying to do a better job as a wife and dog mom to not totally ignore those parts of my life, which has happened in the past when things get crazy...the house gets to be a mess, we eat too much fast/prepared food, Buddy doesn't get as much attention...

Yet somehow, on the eve of the last 2 big events at work for the semester (signaling not a total slowdown but at least a more usual pace), I feel calm. Eerily so.

On one hand, the goal is in sight. Get through these events tomorrow, have one more big meeting for the week Friday, and then enjoy a weekend with very minimal plans, spending time with family and close friends. Then seven work days until the first holiday break. I am quite the goal-driven gal.

On the other hand, I think the past six weeks, while hectic, have been a little less stressful than similar periods in my life. I've been working really hard to not fret over things that are out of my control. I've also been working on my management and delegation skills. Part of that is realizing if I ask for help or for someone to complete a task, it may not be done exactly the way I would do it. But if it gets done, that's the important part. And if mistakes are made, as long as the lesson is learned so it's not repeated, that's what counts.

Could it be that (gasp!) I am becoming a big picture person? If you believe the personality profile I took earlier this year at a work training, apparently so. Me, the self-proclaimed perfectionist, attentive to every detail, was shocked to read that. And then almost instantly, proud. It made me feel like maybe I was finally growing up.

In the past, my skill for detail could sometimes be a curse. How many times did I spend extra effort on little details for events or projects that probably weren't noticed? If I knew what I know now back then, maybe I would have never worked an 18-hour day at my last job 2 nights before my major event of the year.

I keep thinking about a conversation I had recently with a friend. She is someone I admire...owns her own business, extremely involved in the community with some high-level volunteer roles, and always seems so put together. I finally broke down and asked how she does it. She was honest that it's tough, and to use her phrase, "sometimes, balls are dropped." I found the comment curious because in all my times working with her, I've never experienced a dropped ball.

I think it all comes back to expectations. Sometimes, we can be hard on ourselves and when things don't go exactly how we plan, we feel we "dropped a ball"...but really, if things are still okay in the big picture, is it really a failure? I think not. I think what is key to managing everything in our lives is being more open-minded and flexible about outcomes.

Because in the big picture, how much does a tiny detail going differently really alter your life path anyway?

(Cue up the Bob Marley ... "don't worry, about a thing, 'cause every little thing's gonna be alright...")