I heard this story a while ago... Hope you find it inspiring as much as I do!
The Mayonnaise Jar and the 2 Cups of Coffee
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 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 size Rocks. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They replied "YES".
The professor then picked up a box of smaller pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly the pebbles rolled into the open areas between the Rocks. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They once again replied "Yes".
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 of the 2 cups into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand.
The students laughed. As the laughter subsided the professor said "Now the cup is full" "I would like you to recognize that this jar represents your life.
The Rocks are the important things the big things -Your relationship with GOD, Your health, Your well being, Your spouse!
The bigger Pebbles are the other things that really matter to you in you life such as your FAMILY! Friendship, your relatives and extended families, close friends, the ones you love.
The smaller Pebbles are your outer relationships, your colleges, your career or your job. The things you have to do in your life.
The sand is everything else–the small stuff." The material things such as your house, your car, your boat, the inanimate objects around you, all the things that have no feelings, the negative people and objects in your life, all the things that steal your time and energy."
He continued. "If you fill the jar with sand first then there is no room for the Rocks or the Pebbles,
like wise if you fill the jar with Pebbles, there is still no room for Rocks, put the big Rocks in first and fit the rest of the Pebbles in and then the sand around them.
The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the bigger things that are Really important to YOU"
If everything else was lost and only the small stuff remained, Sand and Pebbles your life would still be full, but full of what?
Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness, spend time with GOD, pray, look after your self, take time to get medical checkups. Look after your spouse, take them out to dinner, Play with your children, Spend Quality time with your close friends and family. There will always be time to clean the house, do the garden, fix the car.
Decide NOW in your life what are Your Rocks what are Your Pebbles and beware of the Sand. Take care of those Rocks and those Pebbles, those things that really matter to you. Set your priorities and remember the rest is just Sand."
The Class was silent for a moment, one of the students raised their hand and inquired "What about the coffee what does that represented." The professor smiled, "I’m glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, weather it be with Rocks, Pebbles, sand or an even balance of all three, there is always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."
(author unknown)
Enjoy your coffee
