Spinning Plates!

this is such a great talk!!! 
Donald L. Hallstrom, “Seeking a Balanced Life,” Ensign, Aug. 2003, 52–57

 Here are a couple of paragraphs to whet your appetite!!!.... 

In those days, I often recalled a childhood memory. The Ed Sullivan Showwas one of the most popular programs on television in the United States. As a variety show, it featured performers with widely divergent talents. One man appeared regularly. A number of poles, perhaps a dozen or more, were set up on stage, with stacks of dinner plates beside them.

This agile individual would spin a plate on top of one of the poles and then move to the next pole and spin a second plate and then a third and a fourth. As he proceeded down the line of poles, the rotation of the plates on the first and second poles would begin to slow, and the dishes would be in danger of falling off and crashing to the floor.

 Seeing this, the man would quickly run back to those poles and with a gentle spin increase the motion that allowed the plates to keep spinning. The excitement of the act was to witness the ability of the performer to expand the number of rotating plates while not letting any fall.

Invariably, a point would be reached where he was not able to keep up. There was a limit to his ability to increase the number and yet properly care for the plates already in motion. The sight of dishes sliding from their precarious perches and the cacophony as they hit the hard floor vividly proved the point that even the most skilled performer has his limits.

Each of us must decide how many “poles” we are able to manage in our life and what they represent. Some individuals are spinning a single plate with all their effort, ignoring all other poles. Others are attempting to spin so many at the same time that the crashing of plates is often heard.

AND

As sincere followers of Christ, we must constantly evaluate what is most important. Are we so intensively focused on one pole that the plates atop the others are in danger of falling because of our neglect? Or are we spinning too many poles? Do we need to simplify our lives to keep all that truly matters in proper motion?

How can each of us know if our life is out of balance? Well, most of us just know. We simply need to
admit it and exercise the discipline to change, substituting higher values and better habits for those we have been living. We need to follow the counsel of our prophets to do it now before any further damage is caused by our lack of attention to other indispensable parts of life.