Welcome to my first blog for 2011 or for that matter first one ever! I hope you have written down your goals for 2011 and are ready for the best year yet! A word of advice and something I like to live by is "keep it simple". Remember if you do not make your goal at the deadline you set for yourself, do not give up! May be it is just going to take a little longer than you originally thought.
For my first blog of 2011, I would like to share with you a story we received in the mail yesterday from a friend.
The Mayonnaise Jar & the Coffee
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar & proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
So then the professor 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 if the jar was full.
They agreed it was. The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar and of course the sand filled everything else up. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes". The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
"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 - things that 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 in 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 your time & 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.
- play with your children (or grandchildren)
- take time to get medical checkups.
- take your spouse to dinner.
- spend time with your parents for you won't always have them in your life.
One of the students raised her hand & inquired what the coffee represents? The professor smiled, "I am glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there is always room for a couple cups of coffee with a friend."
So, 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 coffee.
I hope you enjoyed the story. There is a great message there. So for 2011, remember the important things in your life, keep it simple, and "don't sweat the small stuff"
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!
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