Self-awareness is…

Imagine yourself deftly juggling three colourful balls. A fourth ball is tossed in your direction. Before it reaches you, the thought flashes in to your mind: this ball is going to completely change things. 

It is going to change things. It is going to disrupt your current flow.

It’s possible that the ball hits you in the face, hurting you. It might pass you by completely, a missed opportunity. It might cause all the balls to drop to the floor… Disaster. 

But no matter what happens, if you bend to the ground and pick that ball up off the floor, you are giving yourself options.

You could choose to dust it off and put it away, in a designated space, wherever you decide for it to be kept. Or you could learn how to include a fourth ball in your juggling and find a new rhythm. 

Self-awareness is acknowledging the ball being thrown, and making a decision about what to do with it no matter how it landed. Ignoring it and leaving it on the floor might buy you a little time, but what happens when the next ball is thrown your way?


A bit more of an explorative analogy that came to me when writing our final piece of counselling work. I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below.

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Responses

  1. Personal history (nature vs. nurture) – Living Intentionally avatar

    […] It was whilst writing this that I was inspired to write the analogy Self-awareness is…  […]

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  2.  avatar

    Your analogies are so visual, so helpful. Juggling is such an art isn’t it…I’ll surely think of this the next time the fourth ball comes my way! x

    Liked by 1 person

  3. CO avatar


    Great allegory, Molly! I found myself imagining all sorts of juggling scenarios, including the one where the person is a fantastic juggler.


    I looked it up, the world record is 14 balls, 22 seconds (195 passes). At some point, it might be wise to let someone juggle with her so she can offload some of the balls? Anyway, thanks for your thought provoking post!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Molly Sayers avatar

      Thank you for your comment.

      Wow, 14 balls simultaneously… I’m sure I’ve felt metaphorically close to that number in the past. I love the visual idea of juggling together, allowing another person to share the load. Lovely thought. Thank you again for such a fantastic comment!

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  4. sayersdan avatar

    now there’s two comments, err three

    Liked by 1 person

  5. sayersdan avatar

    now there’s five balls..

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Molly Sayers avatar

      I’ve lost count of the balls; it’s a flipping ball factory over here!!

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  6. sayersdan avatar

    now there’s 5 balls…

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