Are You Spending Your Time on the Trivial Things in Life?

A professor was teaching a group of overachieving business students. To drive his point home he used a story that his student's would never forget. It would be a lesson so important and valuable to them that it would remain with them throughout their lives. Do you know this lesson?

As the professor spoke to his group of overachievers, he made his point as follows:

"Time for a quiz," he said.

Then he showed a one-gallon, opened top jar and put it on the table in front of the students. Then he put a number of medium sized rocks into the jar until it was full.

"Is the jar full," he exclaimed to his students. Yes, they all said.

Then, he said, "Oh really."

He then reached under the table and produced a bucket of gravel. Then, he carefully poured the gravel into the jar and then shook the jar until it would hold no more gravel. The gravel, of course, worked into the spaces between the big rocks.

"Is the jar full?" he asked his students. Now wise to him they bellowed, probably not.

"Good," he replied. Then he reached under the table, and producing some sand, poured the sand into the jar until it filled in all the remaining spaces that the gravel and rocks had not filled.

"Is the jar full," he proclaimed. The class shouted No!

Then the professor obtained a pitcher of water and filled the jar with water until it spilled onto the floor. "What is my point?" the professor wanted to know.

One overachiever, certain of his answer said, "The point is no matter how busy you are if you really try hard you can always fit more into your hectic schedule.

"No," the professor replied, "that is not the point! If you do not put the big rocks in your life in first, you will never get them all in."

What are the big rocks in your life? What is important to you?

Is it your wife?

Is it your children?

Is it your work?

Is it doing God's work?

Is it your friendships?

Is it your education?

Is it your health?

Is it having freedom and independence? Is it being your own boss?

Is it doing the things you love to do like playing golf?

Put the big rocks in first, or you will not get them all in.

If you concern yourself with the trivial matters of life, like the gravel and sand, you will fill your life with little things. As a result, you will not have the quality of time you need to spend on the important matters of life (your rocks).

Ambition and energy are great if properly directly. Where is your energy and ambition directed?

Remember, you are the one who decides what the big rocks are.

What are the big rocks in your life? Do you know them?