The Mayonnaise Jar and 2 Beers
When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 beers. 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 jar and 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 that 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 and resounding "YES!" The professor then produced two beers from under the table and pured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed again.
"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 of 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 the time with your children. Spend time with your parents."
"Visit with grandparents. Take time to get medical check ups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to cleaned 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 that you asked. The beer just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of beers with a friend."
Take a moment to write down in your journal, sketch it out on paper, jot it on a crumpled piece of paper or napkin - whatever you have on hand. This exercise will provide you with visual perspective. Visual Perspective is like a second pair of eyes, it allows you a moment to step back and see what you have, or would like to have, in your life.
Remember you are the jar, these "objects" are what fill you up and make you whole.
- The Golf Balls - Who or What are the important things that fill your life? If everything else fell away, and these are all that were left, you would still consider your life full
- The Pebbles - Who or What are the other things in your life?
- The Sand - The "small stuff" that tends to fill in the small empty spaces. These can sometimes bury the pebbles or blur how we see the golf balls.
- The Drink - Who would you like to make time to sit with and just talk, share, laugh, let time pass?
