When things in your life seem
almost too much to handle, when 24 hours
in a day are not enough,
remember the mayonnaise jar...and the beer.
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 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 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
cans of beer 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, your favorite
passions--things that 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, 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 beer
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
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