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” and he pulled out a one-gallon,
wide-mouth Mason jar and set it on the table in
front of him. He also 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 yelled, “Yes.” The time management expert replied, “Really?” He reached under the table and pulled out a
bucket of gravel. He dumped some gravel in
and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to
work themselves down into the spaces
between the big rocks. He then 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 complimenting others? Remember
to put these BIG ROCKS in first or you’ll never
get them in at all. So, tonight, or in the morning,
when you are reflecting on this short story, ask yourself this question: What are the ‘big
rocks’ in my life? Then, put those in your jar
first.
