What to Drop? What to Protect?
"Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least." — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
Not everything that looks valuable is worth protecting. Some of it — if you dropped it right now — would bounce.
The world portrays an image of success — glitz, glamour, shiny cars, jewellery, clothing, money.
As Rihanna would say: "Shine bright like a diamond."
Yet we must be wary. All that glitters is not gold.
What is shiny on the outside may be the complete opposite of what is on the inside. The crucial aspect is not what you have that is shiny. It is who you are. The light you are shining from the inside out.
So what light are you shining into the world?
Not the light you are reflecting. The light you are shining.
Many people focus on building a glass throne.
And truly, this is like building your castle on sand. One heavy life blow of a hammer and it could shatter — not dramatically, just quietly into pieces.
In life, you and I have many roles. And each one of those roles can be classified as either rubber or glass.
Rubber bounces when dropped. Glass breaks.
The key is to get clear on your responsibilities: which ones are rubber and which ones are glass.
Glass — your physical and mental health, core relationships, trust, spiritual wellbeing, integrity.
Rubber — housework, errands, TV, email, social media, and so on.
I learned this the hard way. And so did my father.
He passed away last year — finally at peace after being ravaged by Parkinson's and Dementia. When he was still communicative, he told me his greatest life regret was letting his health and fitness slip in his fifties—on account of being very busy with business, work, and its demands.
My advice, built on the wisdom of my father:
The one glass plate you never stop spinning is your physical and mental health.
Ever.
Health and vitality are the first link in the chain of life. Without it, you will struggle to spin the other plates — and those plates are a metaphor for every crucial role you have determined matters in your life.
Here is the leadership challenge most people never stop long enough to face.
We spend our days urgently protecting rubber — while quietly letting glass slip through our hands. We chase the shiny throne. We accumulate. We perform. We impress.
And then one day something that truly matters — a relationship, our health, our integrity — hits the floor. And we realise too late we have dropped a glass ball.
Don't chase the shiny outward trophies — the accolades, the spoils of wealth.
Focus instead on the inward. On integrity. On commitment. On ensuring the important glass balls in your life are inspected, protected, and connected.
As Bob Hawke once said:
"The things which are most important don't always scream the loudest."
Know what's glass. Protect it.
This week's reflection:
What are you currently treating as urgent that is actually rubber — and what glass have you been quietly neglecting?
Gary Good
Founder — LeaderLegacy