A coworker passed this along to me. I thought it offered a lesson we would all do well to keep in mind:
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.The professor then picked up a jar 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 and of
course the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was
full. The students responded with a unanimous yes.The professor then produced two cans of beer from under the table and
proceeded to pour the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the
empty space between the grains of 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 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 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 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 a medical checkup. Take
your partner out dancing. Play another 18. 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. 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 couple of beers."
