Skip to main content

Smart Stuff

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.
When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jarand 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 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 Beers 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---your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions---and 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. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Spend time with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents. Take your spouse 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 Beer represented. The professor smiled and said, 'I'm glad you asked.' The Beer just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, t here's always room for a couple of Beers with a friend.

Please share this with someone you care about. I JUST DID!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Discovering the 'Roots'

I remember being fascinated by a TV commercial for a website called Ancestry.com. It was a new concept, in 2005 perhaps.  I love how in the US, they trace the roots with the Social Security Number  and form the family tree. Hailing from India, a country that has existed and birthed generations much earlier that the US; I often wish that our ancestors had some sort of tracking mechanism. I'm glad that the PAN number concept has sprung up in recent times, but nevertheless. How many of us can pin point where we came from?  I would love to know though. Many of us have moved cities. Many of us have parents that made the move earlier on in their careers. I know Indians in the US who were born here because their great grand parents moved here in 1950s. I am curious to know more about my Ancestory. We don't have any tracking mechanism such as Social Security numbers, but it would be nice if I knew the profession the men folk were involved in, where did the move to, what was their

Scars of time

Situations we wish never happened in the first place, certain periods of time that seemed to pass very slow, like eternity but that will also pass. But there is always a reminder lingering in the mind, i think it is subconcious, and is there to stay in you for as long as you live.

Thoughts ..

Last couple of weeks have been busy settling down at work. So far so good, work is challenging and interesting, which is how I like it to be. Downtown Houston is connected by a network of underground tunnels, its a sight to see for any visitor, filled with eateries and hangouts. It's fun to work in those high rises downtown, MINUS the bumper to bumper traffic. I have a chronic cold that has been persistent for a two months now. It is starting to irritate me, but my guess is that Archu brings it from her daycare to me. Maybe its time to see the doc. Thought for today: If there is nothing good to say, say nothing at all.