THE MAYONNAISE JAR AND COFFEE

= THE MAYONN= AISE JAR AND 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 coffe= e...

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some ite= ms in front of him. When the cla= ss 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 j= ar 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 ar= eas between the golf balls. He th= en 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 fill= ed up everything else. He asked onc= e more if the jar was full. The stud= ents responded with a infamous "yes."<= /o:p>

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 laugh= ed.

"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. Your family, yo= ur children, your faith, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions= . Things th= at if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.=

The pebbles are the other things that matter. Your job, your = house, and your car. The sand= is everything else. The= small stuff. "If you pu= t the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. Th= e same goes for life. If you spend a= ll your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happines= s. Play with your children. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean = the house and fix the disposal. T= ake 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 coff= ee represented.

The professor smiled. "I'm gla= d you asked. It just goes to show y= ou that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a coupl= e of cups of coffee with a friend."

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