Is the Jar Full?
One day, an expert in time management was speaking to a group of
business students, and to drive home a point he used an illustration
those students will never forget.
As he stood in front of the group of high powered overachievers he
said, "Okay, time for a quiz." Then he pulled out a one-gallon, wide
mouthed Mason jar and set it on the table in front of him. Then he
produced about a dozen fist sized rocks and carefully placed them, one
at a time, into the jar. When the jar was filled to the top and no more
rocks would fit inside, he asked, "Is the jar full?" Everyone in the
class said, "Yes."
Then he said, "Really?" He reached under the table and pulled out a
bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar,
using pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the space between
the big rocks. Then he asked the group once more, "Is the jar full?" By
this time the class was on to him.
"Probably not," one of them answered.
"Good!" he replied. He reached under the table and brought out a bucket
of sand. He started dumping the sand in the jar and it went into all
the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked
the question, "Is the jar full?"
"No!" the class shouted. Once again he said, "Good!" Then he grabbed a
pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to
the brim. Then he looked at the class and asked, "What is the point of
this illustration?"
One eager student raised his hand and said, "The point is, no matter
how full your schedule is, if you try really hard you can always fit
some more things in!"
"No," the speaker replied, "that's not the point. The truth this
illustration teaches us is: If you don't put the big rocks in first,
you'll never get them in at all. What are the 'BIG ROCKS' in your life?
Your children.... Your loved ones.... Your education.... Your
dreams.... A worthy cause.... Teaching or mentoring others.... Doing
things that you love.... Time for yourself.... Your health.... Your
significant other.... Christ [your faith]."
"Remember to put these BIG ROCKS in first or you'll never get them in
at all. If you sweat the little stuff (the gravel, the sand) then
you'll fill your life with little things to worry about that don't
really matter, and you'll never have the real quality time you need to
spend on the big, important stuff (the big rocks).
So, tonight or in the morning, when you are reflecting on this short
story, ask yourself this question: What are the 'big rocks' in my life?
Then, put them in your jar first."
Donut
--
"Donut make your brown eyes blue..."
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