The Mayonnaise Jar and two cups of coffee…
Friendly Reminder enjoy this one…
When things in your life seem almost too much to handle; when 24 hours in a day is not enough, remember the story about “The mayonnaise jar, and 2 cups of coffee”
A professor stood before his philosophy class with some items in front of him.
When the class began, without saying a word, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it to the top with golf balls.
He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that indeed 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 if the jar was full… Again 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 the remaining gaps. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an 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 spaces 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, Family, Children, Health, Friends, and Favorite passions – things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, would still make your life be full.
The pebbles are the other 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 applies in your life!
If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.
So…
Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness…
Play with your children.
Go for evening walks.
Breathe the freshness of the air, and feel the rain on your face.
Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out to dinner.
There will always be time to clean the house and repair the leaking tap!!
‘Take care of the ‘golf balls’ first — the things that really matter.
Set your priorities… because the rest is just sand.’
One of the students raised her hand and asked 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 time for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend..’
Please share this with other “Golf Balls”
I just did…!!
With Ethics and Passion
George Mihos
Melbourne Australia August 2009
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