JUGHEADS
Youth Juggling Company, LLC
5905 Concord Avenue
Edina, MN 55424
jugheads@comcast.net
612.229.3348

[Back to Paul's Platform main selection page]

March 2010

“Planing for Success”

“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” As a Type-A personality, I can definitely relate to this old adage. My penchant to plan is driven by a desire to combat my natural tendency toward sloth and aimlessness. I must make plans, set deadlines, and create goals or I’ll resort to ineffectiveness and fruitlessness. Many people who know me even a little bit are surprised when I say I perceive myself to be lazy, but at the least, I have a huge capacity to focus on the wrong activities as a means of procrastination or simply doing what comes easy or feels good instead of what is more challenging (but more rewarding in the long run).

Consider: fresh from college graduation in January ‘92, I wrote in my prayer journal, “I forsake Scrabble and darts until my (radio) audition scripts are finished.” I had dawdled for weeks, hoping to get inspiration, but I had to “just do it” to get my career kick-started (eventually to realize that I wasn’t being called to talk radio). Ever since about 5th grade, I’ve struggled against foreboding project deadlines, making a mountain of worry out of the molehill of duties. Now that I work nearly every day with (pre-) adolescents, I see myself in their healthy nervousness of Showcase and JJ deadlines. But the coaches & I emphasize the sweet rewards of consistent work; belonging to a supportive community; and conquering molehills. Fostering planning skills are at the heart of our big spring shows, and a fun bonus is that they’re entertaining! See you March 19!