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Life and a Can of Beer
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 a
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 -
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 holes. 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 couple of beers."
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A philosophy professor stood before his class with
some items on the table in front of him. When the class began,
wordlessly he picked up a very large and empty glass jar and
proceeded to fill it with 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 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
responded with a unanimous "yes!"
The professor then produced two cans of beer from under the table
and proceeded to pour their 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 rocks are 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, " he continued, "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
checkups. 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.
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." |
