The Lesson Jar
One day an expert in time management was speaking to
a group of business students and, to drive home a
point, used an illustration those students will never
forget. As he stood in front of the group of high
powered overachievers he said, "Okay, time for a
quiz." Then he pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouthed
Mason jar and set it on the table in front of him.
Then he produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and
carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar.
When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks
would fit inside, he asked, "Is this jar full?"
Everyone in the class said, "Yes." Then
he said, "Really?" He reached under the table and
pulled out a bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some
gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel
to work themselves down into the space between the big rocks.
Then he asked the group once more, "Is the jar
full?" By this time the class was on to him. "Probably
not," one of them answered. "Good!" he replied. He
reached under the table and brought out a bucket of
sand. He started dumping the sand in the jar and it
went into all of the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel.
Once more he asked the question, "Is this jar full?"
No!" the class shouted. Once again he said, "Good."
Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour
it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he
looked at the class and asked, "What is the point of
this illustration?"
One eager student raised his hand and said, "The
point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you
try really hard you can always fit some more things in
it!" "No," the speaker replied, "that's not the point.
The truth this illustration teaches us is:
If you don't put the big rocks in first, you'll never get
them in at all.
What are the 'big rocks' in your life? Your
children; Your loved ones; Your education; Your
dreams; A worthy cause; Teaching or mentoring others;
Doing things that you love; Time for yourself; Your
health; Your significant other.
Remember to put these BIG ROCKS in first or you'll
never get them in at all.
If you sweat the little stuff (the gravel, the sand)
then you'll fill your life with little things you
worry about that don't really matter, and you'll never
have the real quality time you need to spend on the
big,important stuff (the big rocks).
So, tonight, or in the morning, when you are
reflecting on this short story, ask yourself this
question:
What are the 'big rocks' in my life?
Then, put those in your jar first.
Enchanted Mountain Poems