A philosophy professor stood before his class with some items on the table 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 rocks, about 2 inches in diameter.
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 picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.
He then asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous “Yes.”
“Now,” said the professor, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The rocks are the important things – your family, your partner, your health, your children – 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, your 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 rocks. The same goes for 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. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take your partner out dancing. There will always be time to go to work and clean the house.
Take care of the rocks first – the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”
I was having a little perusal of the World Wide Web and stumbled across this thought provoking piece pertaining to the choices we make.
I chose to post this, hopefully to provoke some positive thoughts and perhaps even some positive actions.
Here’s the premise: We are all, right now, living the life we choose.
This choice, of course, is not a single, monumental choice. No one decides, for example, “I’m going to move to L.A., and in five years I will be a waiter in a so-so restaurant, planning to get my 8-by-10′s done real soon so that I can find an agent and become a star,” or “I’m going to marry a dreadful person and we’ll live together in a loveless marriage, staying together only for the kids, who I don’t much like, either.”
No. The choices I’m talking about here are made daily, hourly, moment by moment.
Do we try something new, or stick to the tried-and-true? Do we take a risk, or eat what’s already on our dish? Do we ponder a thrilling adventure, or contemplate what’s on TV? Do we walk over and meet that interesting stranger, or do we play it safe? Do we indulge our heart, or cater to our fear?
The bottom-line question: Do we pursue what we want, or do we do what’s comfortable?
For the most part, most people most often choose comfort – the familiar, the time-honored, the well-worn but well-known. After a lifetime of choosing between comfort and risk, we are left with the life we currently have.
And it was all of our own choosing.
Peter McWilliams
I know that where I am sitting right now is not exactly my idea of a perfect life. I sure don’t hate it though but it’s a start, part of a plan perhaps.
Maybe I’m playing it a little safe now but I have many choices… but which one is right? How long will it take to choose?
Could this be one of the biggest problems in fulfilling dreams? Wasting time by deciding which choice to make as opposed to living each choice and experiencing it for what it truly is could possibly be the number one cause of death throughout the world. People die making decisions, in some cases the wrong one. That’s either through stupidity or heroics. My point is though; rather make a decision so that you can continue on your path. Life is only so long. Time waits for no man. If you make the incorrect decision remember that challenge exposes opportunity.
Thanking you for choosing to read this.
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