The important things!

#1

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 2 cups of coffee.

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 that it was full.

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 that 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 cups of coffee 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 - God, 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 put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.
The same for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the
things that are more 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 of golf. 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 coffee 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 cups of coffee with a friend."

#2

I've been telling my wife for some time that the GOLF balls come first but she doesn't believe me....
Maybe I took this too literally....

actually, I've always liked this analogy and have used it in several corporate training classes. I believe that the version I heard used large rocks and a bucket in place of the golf balls.... and it used water instead of coffee. The "2 cups with a friend" is a nice touch.

#3

Damn, how many corporate moguls do we have here..? /:D" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt=":D" />

Nice little parable Rim, thanks for sharing..!

#4

That's a very cool analogy to represent what is important in life.

Remember folks it is an analogy, so if you don't like coffee, the substance around the sand grains could be water, Quik chocolate milkshake, cordial, tea, grog etc. etc.

Very nice touch ("2 cups with a friend")

Cheers mate,
Pete 8)