Monday, January 29, 2007
When things in your lives seem almost too much to handle,
when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and
the 2 cups of coffee.
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had
some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked
up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with
golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed
that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured
them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly.The pebbles rolled into the
open areas between the
golf balls . He then asked the students again if the jar
was full. They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured
it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked
once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous
"yes."
The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under
the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling
the empty space between the sand. The students laughed. "Now,"
said the professor as the laughter subsided,
"I want you to recognize that this jar represents
your life. The golf balls are the important things--your family, your children,
your health, your friends and your favorite passions--and if everything
else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.
The pebbles are the other things that matter like your
job, your house and your car.
The sand is everything else--the small stuff.
"If you
put the sand into the jar first," he continued,"there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.The same goes for life.If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have
room for the things that are important to you."Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.Play with your children.Take time to get medical checkups.Take your spouse out to dinner.Play another 18.There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.
Take care of the golf balls first--the things that really matter.Set your
priorities.The rest is just sand."
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what
the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked.
It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's
always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."I'm gonna do this one day.
sprinkled in glitter.
10:29 PM
