A philosophy professor stood before his class and had
some items in front of him. When class began, wordlessly he picked up a large
empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks, rocks about 2" in
diameter. He then asked the students if the jar was full? They agreed that it
was. So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the
jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open
areas between the rocks. The students laughed.
The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it
into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. "Now," said the
professor, "I want you to recognize that this is your life. The rocks are the
important things - your family, your partner, your health, your children -
anything that is so important to you that if it were lost, you would be nearly
destroyed. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your
house, your car. The sand is everything else. The small stuff."
"If you put the sand into the jar first, there is no
room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes for your life. If you spend all
your energy and time 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
wife out dancing. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give
a dinner party and fix the disposal."
"Take care of the rocks first - the things that really
matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."
