Big Rocks

From: Quaker-P List [quaker-p@earlham.edu] on behalf of Karen Street
Sent: Saturday, December 25, 1999 1:12 PM
Subject: Big Rocks

This came as part of the holiday greetings from a SF Friend.

Best wishes,
Karen Street
Berkeley Meeting

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BIG ROCKS

An expert in time management was speaking to a group of business students and he said, "Okay, time for a quiz."

Then he pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouthed Mason jar and set it on the 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."

He then reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel which he dumped in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the space between the big rocks. Then he 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. To the question, "Is this jar full?" No!" the class shouted. Then he poured a pitcher of water in until the jar was filled to the brim.

Then he asked the class, "What is the point of this illustration?" One eager beaver offered, "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? Your children; Your loved ones; Your education; Your dreams; A worthy cause; Teaching or mentoring others; Doing things that you love; Time for yourself; Your health; Your significant other. If you fill your life with little things you worry about that don't really matter, you'll never have the time you need to spend on the big, important stuff. Ask yourself this question: "What are the BIG ROCKS in my life? Then put those in your jar first.

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