A professor stood before his philosophy class
and had some items in
front of him.
When the class began, wordlessly,
he picked up a very
large and empty mayonnaise jar
and start 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 it
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 -
God, family,children, health, friends, and favorite passions
Things that
if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be
full.
The pebbles are the things that matter like your job, house, and
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.
So...
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.
There
will always be time to clean the house and fix the dripping tap.
'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.'
