Sunday, January 21, 2007

Mayonnaise Jar and 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 mayonnaise 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 and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full.They agreed that it was.

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. 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 in
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 golf balls are the important things -

God
- Family
- Your children
- Your health
- Your friends,
- and 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," 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.

story writer: 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 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 cup of
coffee with a friend."

3 comments:

  1. Hi, My name is Navya. I find your blogs to be very interesting. This blog was recently refered to me by my cousin who also works in Infosys. I finished my MBA and right now I am doing research in my own time on management and krishna. I am trying to study the similarities and ideas of management from Gita(other scriptures also) and how they can be adopted into the modern life. I created my blog but I am still new to writing in it. I find your blog to be very inspirational because I am also keen on doing social service. I am couting on reading more on management. Please let me know if you accept any article that viewers may write. Thanks.

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  2. Sorry, I forgot to leave my email address. Its navya.gunda@yahoo.com

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  3. i love your thoughts......you are a genios!!

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