Is Your Life Full

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.

So 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 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 cans of beer 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 recognise that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things--your family, your children, your health, your friends, your favourite 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, 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. Play with your children. Take time to get medical check-ups. 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 beer 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 couple of beers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’VE STARTED, SO

I’LL FINISH

 

 

 

One of the popular UK TV programmes for many years was the quiz “Mastermind” with its question master, Magnus Magnusson. When time ran out for each contestant a buzzer sounded, but if Magnus hadn’t completed the question he said, “I’ve started so I’ll finish”. It gave the contestant an opportunity to answer one more question and to increase their score.

 

The saying became quite a catchphrase, but it is a good motto for life too. There is something rather sad about letting something we once started with enthusiasm remain unfinished. On the other hand, there is something immensely satisfying about a job that has been completed.

 

At the end of a life filled with many hardships and dangers, shipwreck and imprisonment, St Paul wrote

 

"I have fought a good fight,

I have finished my course,

I have kept the faith”

 

 

There’s something to encourage us all!

 

 

Just click on the screen, turn up the volume and enjoy