Is the Jar Full?
A philosophy professor once stood up before his class and placed a large empty glass jar on the table.
First, he filled the jar to the top with large stones and asked his students if the jar was full?
And they agreed it was.
He said, "Really?"
And he added small pebbles to the jar, giving it a bit of a shake until the pebbles were dispersed in the space between the stones.
Then he asked again, "Is the jar full?"
The students agreed that it was.
The professor then poured some sand into the jar to fill up any remaining space and asked the question again.
This time, the class hesitated, some feeling that the jar is obviously full, but others were wary of another trick.
The professor then grabbed a pitcher of water and filled the jar to the brim, asking,
"If this jar is your life, what does this experiment show you?"
One of the students answered.
"No matter how busy you think you are, you can always take on more?!"
"Well, that is one view," replied the professor, "if you were looking for a shortcut to exhaustion!" ;)
then the professor went on to explain:
"The rocks represent the BIG things in your life – what you will value at the end of your life – your family, your partner, your health, fulfilling your hopes and dreams.
The pebbles are the other important things in your life that give your life meaning, like your job or education, your house, hobbies, friendships.
They often come and go and are not permanent.
These are the things that matter, but that you could live without.
The sand is the 'small stuff' that fills our time, like unforeseen last-minute things, running errands, checking social media, or watching TV. These things don't mean much to you and are likely to be for leisure and distractions, which is likely only done to waste time and or get small tasks accomplished. They are not essential to your overall well-being or for having a meaningful life.
Finally, the water represents living in the moment and spontaneous acts. And that there is always time for a drink with family and friends.😉"
Looking out at the class again, he asks,
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