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Teaching material > Something to think about in this email that was sent to me. Sorry it has taken up so much room. Good to use with students
Something to think about in this email that was sent to me. Sorry it has taken up so much room. Good to use with students
Something to think about in this email that was sent to me. Sorry it has taken up so much room. Good to use with students
The
Mayonnaise Jar
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, without a word,
he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded 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 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 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 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 - family, children, health, Friends,
and Favourite 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, 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 really important to you.
So...
Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Play With your children.
Make time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out to dinner.
Visit your parents.
There will always be time to clean the house and mow the lawns.
�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. �
Please share this with your other "Golf Balls"
I just did......
HI! This is a wonderful text. I �ve got it with some variations and it �s called A Jar of Pickles and a Cup of Coffee, but the basic message is the same and it �s just wonderful - I used it in class with my teenage and highschool sts, and it was just great. Thanks for starting our morning with this.
Anita
PS: Serene shared this with us yesterday at the cafe. Maybe it´s old news for members who are here every day, but it´s worth checking out as well (there´s also a free downloadable text to go with it). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81LPAu5TkAY
This is a beautiful story. It would be nice to demonstrate the experiment with real golf balls, pebbles, sand and coffee in the classroom. Thank you for sharing!