Here’s an amazing video of a talented baseball player. There’s no doubt that learning to juggle baseballs took practice and required constant adjustments so he could get the result that he wanted.
In a way, I think this is like life and our relationships with others. If the action of hitting a baseball is the way that we act in one situation, then the way the ball comes back to us might be a reaction that someone has to that action. In relationships, we’re constantly hitting ‘baseballs’ back and forth to each other, or, more simply, we’re constantly acting and reacting to each other.
If one thing changes in a relationship, the whole system is altered slightly. The way I see it, if you like the outcomes you’re getting, then keep hitting the ball in the same direction. In other words, if you feel that your actions are producing favorable reactions, then they may require very little or no adjustment. On the other hand, if you don’t like the outcome, try ‘hitting the ball’ in a different direction. Evaluate the new outcome and keep adjusting until you’re content with the way the ‘baseball’ is coming back to you.
You can only change you, not the other person. If the reactions to your actions are hurt full or not what you were looking for. The way I see it, you have two choices, one to change your action or two walk away. You can wish they will change, but that is their choice and you have no control over it.
What do you think of the way you’re juggling the baseballs in your life?