A Jar Of Rocks

A philosophy professor stood before his class. When the class began, he picked up a large empty jar and filled it with large rocks. He then asked the students if the Jar was full. They agreed that it was. Then he picked up a box of small pebbles and put them into the jar. He shook it lightly, and the pebbles rolled into the gaps between the rocks. He asked the students again, if the glass jar was full and laughing, they agreed that yes, now it was full.

The professor then picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar, it filled the tiny spaces left.

"Now the jar is full." Said the professor.

The rocks are the important things in your life - your family, partner, health and children. Things that if everything else was lost and they remained - your life would still be full. The Pebbles are the materialistic things such as jobs, cars, money and so on. The sand is everything else - the everyday worries and arguments, the concerns and spats. The things your children do that make you worried or scared. The things your lover does that make you hate them for a second... The small stuff. But if you put the sand into the jar first then there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks. If you put those things uppermost in your priorities list where is the room for your rocks?

Think about it. I did - and somehow such a small philosophy struck me as being incredibly profound. I can live by these few lines, by the analogy of a Jar, a few rocks, a handful of pebbles and some sand.
Crazy isn't it.