Thursday, September 20, 2007

THE STORY OF THE EMPTY JAR AND THE TWO CUPS OF COFFEE.......


The story of an empty 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 story of an empty 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, wordlessly, he picked up a very large empty jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks until the top of the jar.

He then asked the students if the jar was full.

They agreed that it was!

So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar.

He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks.

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 rocks are the important things - your health, your family, your partner, your children, your friends, your 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, your house, and your car.

The sand is everything else - the small stuff.

If you put the sand into the jar first, there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks.

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.

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. Play another 18. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give 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.”

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.”

2 comments:

  1. How true this is. Thank you for your very kind comments on my blog and for adding me to your blogroll. I do laugh at that term (for obvious reasons). :-)

    Your blog is my regular place of refreshment.

    Robert

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thankyou Robert.
    Sending many blessings your way:0)

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for your thoughts.