priorities...

A professor stood before his philosophy class with a few items spread out 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, ”Is the jar 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 golf balls.

He then asked the students again, “Is the jar full?”

They agreed it was.

Next the professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.

Of course, the sand filled up everything remaining crack and crevice.

He asked once more, ”Is the jar full?”

The students responded with a unanimous, “Yes!”

The professor then produced two Beers from under the table and poured the entire contents of both bottles into the jar effectively filling the last of 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 our life.”

The golf balls are the important things—our family, our children, our health, our friends and our favorite passions—and if everything else was lost and only they remained, our life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like our job, our house and our car..

The sand is everything else—the small stuff.” He paused for dramatic effect.

“If we put the sand into the jar first,” he continued, “there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.”

“The same goes for our life.

If we spend all our time and energy on the small stuff we will never have room for the things that are most important to us.”

“It’s time to pay attention to the things that are critical to our happiness.

Spend time with our children.

Spend time with our parents.

Visit with grandparents.

Take our spouse out to dinner.

Play another 18.

There will always be time to clean the house and mow the lawn.

Take care of the golf balls first—the things that really matter.

Set our priorities. The rest is just sand.”

One of the students raised her hand and inquired, “What does the beer represent?”

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.”