The Mayonnaise Jar

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle,
When 24 hours in a day is not enough;
remember the mayonnaise jar and two cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class
and had some items in front of him.

When the class began, wordlessly, he
picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise

jar and started to fill it with golf balls.

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 it 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 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 - family,
children, health, friends, and favorite passions -
things that if everything else was lost and
only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the things that matter

like your job, house, and 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 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
really important to you.

So...

Pay attention to the things that are critical

to your happiness.
Play with your children.
Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out to dinner.

There will always be time to clean
the house and fix the dripping tap..

'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.'

Please share this with other "Golf Balls"...