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 mouth 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 beaver 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?
Time
with your loved ones?
Your
faith,
your
education,
your
dreams?
A worthy
cause?
Teaching
or mentoring others?
Remember
to put these BIG ROCKS
in first
or you'll never get them in at all.
- Source Unknown
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