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 2 Beers.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
golfballs.He
then asked the students if the jar was full.They
agreed that it was.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
golfballs.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 Beers 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 and your favorite 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 putThe
sand into the jar first,there is no room for the pebbles or the
golfballs.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.Spend
time with your parents.Visit
with grandparents.Take
your spouse out to dinner.Play
another 18.There
will always be time to clean the house and mow the
lawn.Take
care of the golfballs 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 and said'I'm glad you
asked.The
Beer just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem,
there's always room for a couple of Beers with a
friend.'