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A Mayonnaise Jar and Two Coffees
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When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when twenty-four hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the two coffees.
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.
When the class began, he wordlessly 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 it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly and the pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.
He then asked the students if the jar was now full.
The students agreed that it was.
The professor now picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course the sand filled in all the gaps between the golf balls and pebbles.
He asked once more if the jar was now full.
The students responded with a unanimous ‘Yes’.
The professor then produced two coffee jars from under the table, and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the space between the sand.
The students laughed.
‘Now’, said the professor, when the laughter had died down, ‘I want you to look on this jar as representing your life. The golf balls are the important things; your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favourite passions, and 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 and your car. The sand is everything else, the small stuff.
If you put the sand in the jar first’ he continued, ‘there would be no room for the pebbles or 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. Spend time with your children. Visit your grandparents or your grandchildren. Take time to get medical check-ups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another eighteen holes. There will always be time to clean the house. 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 asked what the coffee represented.
The professor smiled and said, ‘I’m glad you asked that, the coffee just shows you that, no matter how full your life may seem, there is always room for a cup of coffee with a friend‘.
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.
When the class began, he wordlessly 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 it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly and the pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.
He then asked the students if the jar was now full.
The students agreed that it was.
The professor now picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course the sand filled in all the gaps between the golf balls and pebbles.
He asked once more if the jar was now full.
The students responded with a unanimous ‘Yes’.
The professor then produced two coffee jars from under the table, and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the space between the sand.
The students laughed.
‘Now’, said the professor, when the laughter had died down, ‘I want you to look on this jar as representing your life. The golf balls are the important things; your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favourite passions, and 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 and your car. The sand is everything else, the small stuff.
If you put the sand in the jar first’ he continued, ‘there would be no room for the pebbles or 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. Spend time with your children. Visit your grandparents or your grandchildren. Take time to get medical check-ups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another eighteen holes. There will always be time to clean the house. 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 asked what the coffee represented.
The professor smiled and said, ‘I’m glad you asked that, the coffee just shows you that, no matter how full your life may seem, there is always room for a cup of coffee with a friend‘.
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