Dale Jones: The First One-Handed Juggler

Dale Jones is the first one-handed juggler in history (International Juggler's Association). He hurt his right hand severely at age 8, becoming an instant lefty. He endured 25 operations on his right hand and arm, first to save it, and then to maximize its use. Jones cannot even talk about the pain and misery he experienced during those years. One operation was so painful it has all but been abandoned. Writing about it, Jones says, "was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done." But he knew he had to, to give his motivational story any real power. "My story starts in absolute despair, but I went on to have a life many can only dream about." It didn’t come easy.

Discovering Juggling and Overcoming Obstacles

Jones found juggling at age 16, and it changed his life. He learned everything he could about juggling and practiced constantly. He even practiced at night until he fell asleep from exhaustion, often waking up on the floor the next morning with his juggling props around him. He soon became so skilled at juggling two balls in one hand that he began competing and winning jobs over regular two-handed jugglers. However, he faced his first real roadblock when people started asking if he could juggle three balls. Not fast enough to juggle three in one hand the normal way yet, Jones was determined to find another way.

The Bounce-Multiplex System and Success

Eventually, after what Jones describes as "a study of failure," he developed a system called the Bounce-Multiplex. It was so successful that he could juggle three balls with the ease of any two-handed juggler. At that point, Jones had effectively evened the playing field with regular jugglers. He began getting top entertainment jobs, including being hired by The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. He gradually adapted the Bounce-Multiplex for 4, 5, and even 6 balls. By this time, Jones had become one of the best jugglers in the world, featured in PEOPLE Magazine, on the front page of USA Today, and on numerous national television shows.

Motivation and the Power of Perseverance

Jones toured the nation performing for many years, his quick wit and astounding juggling making him a highly appreciated entertainer. He has been asked to motivate others to overcome their problems, as he did with his disability. He developed a program called "Motivation in Motion". He believes that determination and perseverance are the most powerful traits a person can have—learning everything about what they want to succeed in, practicing until the seemingly impossible becomes routine, and persevering through failures until success happens, sometimes by chance.

The Role of Serendipity and Knowledge

Jones found that happy accidents, or serendipity, sometimes happen because he knew so much about his subjects. He quotes Louis Pasteur, the father of vaccines, who said, "Chance favors the prepared mind." Pasteur’s first vaccine was an accidental discovery. Jones tells audiences that if one knows everything about a subject—if they’ve "read the book"—then success can be as simple as writing one more page. One more page to do something no one has ever done before.

From Failure to Success

In this book, as in his life, Jones guides the reader through the process from failure to success. "Juggling is a study of that process," he explains. You fail repeatedly at each new trick or when adding another ball, but you don’t give up. You become determined, persevere, and gain confidence until you can finally add that trick to your act. That’s how success works in anything, in fact.

Jones clearly knows what he’s talking about.