Having your priorities straight means having balance in your life — job, family, officiating and other things important to you. If you put too much emphasis on one over the other, the remaining priorities are affected.
Each aspect of your life needs attention; some more than others. What particular item gets more attention? The ones with the greatest priorities. There are countless stories of officials at every level, who concentrated so much on officiating, their family life suffered. Some were so affected by it, divorce was the outcome.
A friendly kick in the pants can do wonders in getting things back on track.
Knowing when things are out of balance is difficult for individuals to see on their own. If you are able to tell when things are off kilter, you’re very independent. If you can’t tell when things aren’t on the level, having someone close to you to remind you is essential.
How does that balance really affect your officiating? Think of your officiating in terms of a table; the tabletop is your life and the legs supporting the tabletop are your family, job, officiating and the like.
Take one of the legs out from underneath you and more stress is put on the remaining legs. If your home life isn’t up to par, you carry that to your job and out on the court. If your officiating suffers, so do your partners and ultimately the game itself. Nobody wants that to happen. Keeping the balance in your life and officiating keeps everything else on the up and up.
Making the right choices will affect your career in a positive fashion. People want to be around others who are successful and do the right things. Officials are no different. Be proud of what you do and how you carry yourself at all times; everyone will take notice.
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