“NOT MY CIRCUS, NOT MY MONKEY”
Maybe you’ve heard this wonderful Polish expression before, but I just came upon on and love it! It is the best advice for those of us who like to solve problems. Who are compassionate. Okay, even maybe a little bossy. Every time I say it aloud, I laugh, which we all know is the best medicine. But the great thing about this phrase is that it helps me step back and make a choice–get involved, not get involved? It helps me remember that I’m not running things. It puts me in my right place. And if I were going to get a tattoo, which I’m not, I would have these words imprinted on my arm, or running up my leg. If I were a composer, I’d turn it into a song. So, being just me, I’ll share it with you. I hope it makes you giggle and helps you through your day.
You are right again, Jean.
The “Not My Circus…Not My Monkey” sounds like what we used to say in business…”Not my “yaab” (job).
To me, it’s another way of saying, “My life is complicated enough…I don’t want to ‘go there.’ ” Or “passing the buck”.
It would be more polite or PC to say, “I really don’t have an answer for that, or sorry, I can’t help you on that.”
Linda
Yes, we could go for more polite, but I really like this saying, even if I only say it quietly to myself! I was speaking to someone about burnout the other day and she said she had a hard time saying no, but was exhausting herself what with work, volunteer work and family life. My feeling is that “No” is an essential word, and it makes the “Yeses” more powerful and enjoyable.