The Mayonnaise Jar

This was sent to me and I felt that it was such a good piece that I had to share it with you.

When  things in your life seem almost too much to handle,
When 24  hours in a day is not enough;
remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of  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
and start 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
it 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 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 an 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 – God,  family,
children, health, friends, and favorite passions
Things  that if everything else was lost
and  only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the things that matter like your job, house, and 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 your time and energy  on the small stuff,
You will never have room for the things that  are
important to you.


So…


Pay attention
to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Play with your children.

Take time to get medical checkups.

Take your partner out to dinner.

There will always be time
to clean the house and fix the dripping tap.

‘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 coffee represented.

The  professor smiled.

‘I’m glad you asked’.

It just goes to show you that  no matter how full your life may seem,
there’s always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.’

3 Responses to “The Mayonnaise Jar”

  • What a wonderful article! This is so true and we all need to remember what is most important in our lives.

  • Hey, Lady your web site is fantastic. I know that it will inspire me, and get my creative juices flowing, that is needed to finish my site.
    My grandson wanted me to introduce him to you. His name is Vinny Le. He is an “A” student which makes me very proud.

    Jim
    1(310) 763-3901
    jimwells1@sbcglobal,net

  • You have a beautiful and inspiring site. This article is like the icing on the cake. We often make the pebbles in life our top priority and we soon find they can break and turn into sand. Sad part is so much time passes before we realize the Golf Balls have been there all the time just waiting for our attention. A nice wake up call.

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