Large Stones

A Happy New Year to you.
The new year is a time many people look over the past year at where they have been and forward to where they are going. It reminds me of the following story:

There was a philosophy professor who stood before his class with a big jar in front of him. He put in several large stones into the jar. He asked the class if the jar was full. They agreed it was full. Next the professor added pebbles that filled in the space around the large stones and he asked again if the jar was full. The class agreed that the jar was full. The professor then added sand to the jar and it filled in the rest of the space. He asked again if the jar was full and the class responded "yes." From out of a paper bag, the professor pulled out a large cup of coffee, removed the top and poured it into the jar until the top was covered in coffee, effectively filling all the empty space between the sand.

"Think about your life," he said. "The large stones represent the most important things to you, like family, health, your passions and so on. The pebbles represent things that matter like your car, your job, your house and the like. The sand is the small stuff. Don't fill your jar with the sand first. Focus on the big stones because those are the things that really matter if the pebbles, sand and coffee are gone."

A student asked, "What about the coffee?" The professor responded, "The coffee just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a cup of coffee with a friend."

It's easy to get sidetracked from our priorities and what is really important. My New Year's Resolution is to keep my priorities always in mind as I delegate my time.