Lessons from the Art of Juggling: How to Achieve Your Full Potential in Business, Learning, and Life

by Michael J. Gelb

Featuring simple, illustrated instructions for learning to juggle, this book focuses on the valuable lessons this lighthearted pastime offers, from learning to keep a number of things "up in the air" at the same time to coping gracefully with mistakes by learning to "drop the ball" from time to time. Illustrations.

Genres: Nonfiction, Business, Self Help, Psychology, Management

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

The world’s leading authority on the application of genius thinking to personal and organizational development, Michael J. Gelb is a pioneer in the fields of creative thinking, innovative leadership and executive coaching. His clients include DuPont, Emerson, Genentech, KPMG, Merck, Microsoft, Nike and YPO.

Michael is a Senior Fellow at The Center for Humanistic Management and a member of the Leading People and Organizations Advisory Board at the Fordham University Gabelli School of Business. Michael was also awarded a Batten Fellowship in Innovation from the University of Virginia’s Darden Graduate School of Business, and he co-directed the acclaimed Leading Innovation Seminar there for more than 10 years. Michael was honored as “Brain of the Year” (1999) by the Brain Trust Charity – other recipients include Steven Hawking, Garry Kasparov and Edward De Bono.

Michael is the author of 17 books including How to Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci, Discover Your Genius, Innovate Like Edison, and The Art of Connection: 7 Relationship Building Skills Every Leader Needs Now.

Michael’s books have been translated into 25 languages and have sold more than one million copies. Recent releases include The Healing Organization: Awakening the Conscience of Business to Help Save the World, co-authored with Prof. Raj Sisodia, and Mastering the Art of Public Speaking: 8 Secrets to Transform Fear and Supercharge Your Career.

FUN FACTS

Author, Speaker, Consultant, Juggler!

A professional juggler who performed with the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan, Gelb introduced the idea of teaching juggling to promote accelerated learning and team-building. He is the author of The 5 Keys to High Performance: Juggling Your Way to Success.

A passionate wine lover, Gelb is the originator of a unique and enjoyable approach to teambuilding as expressed in Wine Drinking For Inspired Thinking: Uncork Your Creative Juices.

Michael trained as a teacher of the Alexander Technique, (the method taught at The Juilliard School for cultivating commanding stage presence), while completing his Masters degree. His thesis became his first book – Body Learning: An Introduction to the Alexander Technique.

A fifth degree black belt in the martial art of Aikido, Gelb is co-author with Grandmaster Raymond Keene, of Samurai Chess: Mastering Strategic Thinking Through the Martial Art of the Mind.

Reviews

[Lori Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

A should-read book on how to effective as you manage your career.

[Raymond Nakamura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Juggling tips and maybe some other things.

[Tilopa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Une approche originale de L'ambidextérité

[BloodRodd3097]

awesome!

[Mehmet Gozaydin · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you measure a book with folded pages and underlines, this one can be a classic. There are so many bite sized information, you should have your pencils at ready.

I am usually not very charmed by self help books. I am not sure if we can call these one but, even if it is, it was a really useful one.

There are two ways to read this book:

First one is for the aim of learning how to juggle. For this I can say that it's really useful. I already started to be able to juggle three balls for a few seconds. Focusing on throw instead of catch was a breakthrough for me. Also intentionally letting the balls drop is great boost for your mental readiness.

Second one is to take juggling as a metaphor. And the book becomes a take on how to learn in general. I really liked the juggling metaphor for learning. Also "Alexander technique" and "super baby" concepts are worth looking into. To summarize, I can say that they are about one's mental and physical readiness for learning.

It is an easy and fun read, Maybe a bit old might require you to translate some suggestions to today's world but that's okay.

Have fun.

"If the balls have been thrown to correct points at the top, they will land a few inches in front of your feet. We are counting on you to be 100 percent successful in letting the balls drop"

[Scott Hayden · Rating 4 out of 5]

I already knew how to juggle, but since picking up this treasure of a book, I've altered the way I teach juggling. In my very last elementary class, all 15 of my grade 5 students learned to juggle. I'm looking forward to bringing these learning principles and the fun of juggling to a summer school course in 2016.

Note that the co-author is Tony Buzan of mind-mapping fame.

[Semi-Academic Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found a fun section on the philosophy of play that the authors espouse in their practice of juggling. The sections that taught how to juggle did not appeal to me so much as I already enjoy the process and the practice.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Juggle too many balls and you will drop them.

[Mauricio · Rating 5 out of 5]

a KISS, Keep It Simple S, book. Easy to read and at the end I learned to juggle.

[Timothy Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal.