This is an interesting observation;
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Author Unknown
A while back I was reading about an expert on the subject of time
management. One day this expert was speaking to a group of business
students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration I'm sure those
students will never forget. After I share it with you, you'll never
forget it either.
As this man stood in front of the group of high-powered overachievers,
he said, "Okay, time for a quiz."
Then he pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouthed mason jar and set it on a
table in front of him. 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."
Then he said, "Really?"
He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. He dumped
some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work
themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks.
Then he smiled and asked the group once more, "Is the jar full?"
By this time the class was onto him. "Probably not," one of them
answered.
"Good!" he replied. And he reached under the table and brought out a
bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in and it went into all the
spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the
question, "Is this jar full?"
"No!" the class shouted.
Once again he said, "Good!" Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and
began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked
up at the class and asked, "What is the point of this illustration?"
One eager beaver raised his hand and said, "The point is, no matter how
full your schedule is, if you try really hard, you can always fit some
more things into 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?
A project that you want to accomplish? Time with your loved ones? Your
faith, your education, your finances? A cause? Teaching or mentoring
others? Remember to put these BIG ROCKS in first or you'll never get
them in at all.
-- Jerry W. Decker / jdecker@keelynet.com http://keelynet.com / "From an Art to a Science" Voice : (214) 324-8741 / FAX : (214) 324-3501 ICQ # - 13175100 / AOL - Keelyman KeelyNet - PO BOX 870716 - Mesquite - Republic of Texas - 75187