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A professor stood before his Philosophy 101
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 proceeded to fill it
with golf balls. 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 spaces between the golf balls. He then asked the
students again if the jar was full. They agreed it
was.
The professor picked up a box of sand and
poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled
up everything else. He then asked once more
if the jar was full. The students agreed
with a unanimous --yes!
The professor then produced a pot of tea from under the table and proceeded to pour the
entire contents into the jar effectively filling
the empty space between the sand. The
students laughed.
"Now," the professor said, 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
partner, your health, your children, your friends, your
favorite passions --things that if everything else
was lost and only they remained, your life would
still be full."
"The pebbles represent the other things
that matter like your job, your house, your car. The
sand represents 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 your 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 partner out dancing.
Play another 18
holes of golf.
There will always be time to go to
work, clean the house, give a dinner party 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 tea 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 cup of tea!!!" |
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