Rocks, Pebbles and Sand

An interesting representation of life that I found, not sure of the author though:

Sometimes we forget what should always be important.

A philosophy professor stood in front of his class, picked up an empty Mayonnaise jar, and proceeded to fill it to the top with rocks with about a 2 inch-diameter. He then asked the students if it was full. They agreed that it was. The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. The pebbles rolled into the spaces between the rocks. He asked again if the jar was full. Again the answer was yes. Picking up a box of sand, he poured that into the jar. Shaking the jar, the sand filled up the spaces left between the rocks and the pebbles.

Holding up the jar, the professor said, "This represents your life".

"The Rocks are the important things, your partner, your family, your children, your health, anything that is so important to you that if you lost it, you would nearly be destroyed."

"The Pebbles are the other things in your life that matter but on a smaller scale, like your house, your job, your car."

"The sand is everything else, the small stuff."

"If you put sand or pebbles in the jar first, there will be no room for the rocks. The same applies for life. Spending energy on small stuff, material things, will never allow room for the things that are truly important."

The Moral: Pay attention to the things that are critical in life. Play with your children, take your partner out for the evening. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party, or wash your car. Take care of the Rocks first, the things that really matter. Set the priorities. The rest is just Sand and Pebbles.