My juggling story

I wanted to juggle when I was around 8. I could catch well at that time since cricket was one of my favourite sports growing up. I found a juggling book that recommended using scarfs that would move slowly. I think I butchered one of mums... but I couldn’t work it out. “I can’t juggle.” was the lesson.

At around 19 I was starting to make state teams in hockey and I was thinking I was an outside chance of making the Australian U21’s team. That would have put me on track to be a chance of becoming an olympic gold medalist with the Australian hockey team. Like most athletes I battled with confidence. I fought very hard to get to state level after missing out on those teams all through the junior ages when I thought I was close or even that I deserved a place. My point is that there were 2 people there who could juggle. They were both getting picked in Australian junior squads at the time (Pete Kelly & Darren Booth). Coincidentally Darren was also a Rubik’s Cube master, could do back flips and took on just about any puzzle. Darren Booth was a huge expander for my view of what a person could become. I thought he was more talented than me. . . That it was easy for him. But it opened a door in my mind that I eventually walked through.

I tried juggling and failed again. They either didn’t know how to teach me or didn’t want to but I learned again “I can’t juggle.” If was more curious I would have found a circus school or hounded them to teach me but I was still insecure. Maybe my brain just “wasn’t good enough.” I avoided the reward of success by avoiding the challenge of discomfort.