One day, an expert on 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 this man stood in front of the group of
high-powered overachievers he said, "Okay, time for a quiz."
Then he pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouthed mason
jar and set it on a table in front of him. Then he 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 said, "Yes." Then
he said, "Really?" He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel.
Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work
themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks.
Then he asked the group once more, "Is the jar
full?"
By this time the class was onto 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 and it went into
all 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 up 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 into 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? A project
that YOU want to accomplish? Time with your family & friends? Your spiritual life,
education, finances? A good cause? 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 or business? Then, put those in your jar first.
