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| The Mayonnaise Jar and 2 CUPS OF COFFEE | |
| 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. | |
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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 mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. |
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| He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. | |
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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. |
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| 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 an 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, & 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 love out to dinner. Play another 18. | |
| 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." | |