Similar to the Inspirational Coffee Video on the previous page:The professor stood before his philosophy class. Instead of the usual small pile of books, he had an assortment of items in front of him. It was early in the term and the last first year students were taking their places. Without a word, he picked up a very large empty mayonnaise jar. He began to fill it carefully with golf balls. When he could get no more in, he asked the students if the jar was full. They said that it was.
So the professor picked up a box of small pebbles and began to pour them into the jar shaking it occasionally. The pebbles rolled themselves into the small spaces between the golf balls.
Again he asked the students if the jar was full. Again, they said that it was.
He next picked up a box of sand and poured it gently over the golf balls shaking the jar every few moments to allow the sand to fill up the very small spaces between everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students, by now realising that they had led themselves up a blind alley, joined in the exercise and responded with a loud and unanimous ‘Yes.’
With the flourish of a magician, the professor then produced two bottles of Guinness from his brief case and poured the entire contents into the jar, now ‘completely’ filling the empty spaces between the grains of sand. The students laughed.
‘Now’, said the professor, as the laughter subsided, ‘this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things, your family, your children, your health, your friends, your passions. These are the things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your
life would 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 would be 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. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Love and respect your partner – go out to dinner and the theatre. Play with your children. Take the time to have medical check-ups.
Play another 18 holes. There will always be time for the cleaning. There will be another opportunity to fix things around the house.
Set your priorities. Take care of your golf balls before you take care of your pebbles. The rest is just sand.’
He bowed. The class applauded the presentation.
One student raised a
hand.
‘Professor’, she said, ‘you didn’t mention the Guinness. What does the Guinness represent?’
The professor smiled. ‘I'm glad you asked. It doesn’t matter how full your life may seem, there's always time for a couple of bottles of Guinness.’
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