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 2 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 proceeded 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
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. 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 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 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 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 disposal.

‘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.’

(via itstooearlytobeawake)

  1. jakhammur reblogged this from yourownlittlewonderland
  2. locavivi reblogged this from jesssfresh
  3. aniitap reblogged this from alondradenise
  4. itsdaviidphotography reblogged this from 1112am and added:
    wooow, that was beautiful.
  5. deepwisdomspeakspower reblogged this from youtheonegirl
  6. chrysanthe reblogged this from cejfuzz
  7. jacques-acosta reblogged this from danhellraiser
  8. cejfuzz reblogged this from parislove9
  9. laurbaier reblogged this from wallflowerr
  10. bransonshumway reblogged this from imaginedrealityk
  11. janellebites reblogged this from jesssfresh
  12. stretchyourpantays reblogged this from meganorejana
  13. cinnamonlollies reblogged this from whimsicallywonderful
  14. sweetlilyt reblogged this from boom-bangbang
  15. imaginedrealityk reblogged this from ghostsofavalon
  16. jesssfresh reblogged this from carrrieeex3
  17. jamielynng reblogged this from arutnevassylla
  18. zososweet reblogged this from dearprodigal
  19. arutnevassylla reblogged this from ayeeitsmichiie
  20. rachellovesyou730 reblogged this from casieskisses
  21. parislove9 reblogged this from juleskaila
  22. whimsicallywonderful reblogged this from weemackenzie
  23. carrrieeex3 reblogged this from bizzybarlaan
  24. wishin4rightnow reblogged this from lalalanothingtosaay
  25. sunburntandstranded reblogged this from buried-bones
  26. carlthelonewolfe reblogged this from youtheonegirl
  27. casieskisses reblogged this from love-sarairene
  28. graceful-lee reblogged this from panada