philosophy ROCKS
A 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 right to the top, rocks about 2"
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 in to the jar. He
shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled in the open areas
between the rocks. The students laughed.
He asked his students again if the jar was full? They agreed that yes, it was.
The professor then 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 in life that matter, but on a smaller scale.
The pebbles represent things like your job, your house, your car.
The sand is everything else. The small stuff.
If you put the sand or the pebbles into the jar first, there is no room for the
rocks. The same goes for your life. If you spend your energy and time on the
small stuff, material things, you will never have room for the things that are
truly most important.
Pay attention to the things that are critical in your life. Play with your
children. Take your partner 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 pebbles and sand.