A philosophy professor stood before his class and
had some items in front of him.
When the 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.
He then asked the
students again if the jar was
full. They agreed it was.
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 - 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, there is no room for the
pebbles or the rocks. 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 check-ups.
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 sand."
But then...
A student then took the jar which the other
students and the professor
agreed was full, and proceeded to pour in a glass
of beer.
Of course the
beer filled the remaining spaces within the jar
making the jar truly full.
The moral of this tale is: that no matter how full
your life is, there is
always room for BEER.
