One day an expert in time management was speaking to a group of business
students and, to drive home a point, 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-mouth 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 this 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 causing
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 of
the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question,
"Is this 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 beaver 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 it!"
"No," the speaker replied, "that's not the point. The
truth this illustration teaches us is this: 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? Time with your loved ones? (Parents, kids, friends?) Time for
yourself? Your faith, education, dreams? A worthy cause? Teaching or mentoring
others? Remember to put these BIG ROCKS in first or you'll never get them in at
all. 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 those in your jar first.
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