Week 20 Rocks, Pebbles or Sand- What’s first in your jar?

This past week’s MKMMA class spoke about an empty jar and what we fill it with…bare with me while I share an old story I wrote about a few years ago. It is always worth sharing and remembering…

Philosophy 101

Once a philosophy professor stool before his class with some items in front of him. When the class began, he picked up a large empty jar and began to fill it with rocks about the size of his fist. When no more rocks would fit, he asked the class, “Is the jar full?” They agreed that it was.

The professor picked up a box pf pebbles and poured them into the jar. He lightly shook it and the pebbles rolled into the spaces between the rocks. When the pebbles reached the top of the jar, he asked the class again, ” Is the jar full?” They laughed and answered yes.

Finally the professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. It filtered into every small space between the rocks and the pebbles. He poured quite a bit of sand into the jar until it reached the top. He shook the jar until it all settled.

“Now”, he said. ” I want you to recognize that this is your life. The rocks are the important things- your family, your partner, your health, your children, all the things that, if everything else were lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter, like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else, the small stuff.

“If you put the sand into the jar first, you don’t have room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have time for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your kids; take time to get medical checkups; take your partner out dancing. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, have a dinner party, and fix the disposal.

“Take care of the rocks first- the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand. ”

Think about all the time wasters people indulge in. How much time do people spend in front of the TV? The most recent survey I heard, said approx 2.5 hrs a day! That is about the same amount of time it would take for anyone to get into extreme physical fitness, or write a novel, maybe learn a new language.

What are you putting into your empty jar the start of every day?