Once upon a time, there was a philosophy professor. One day he decided
to teach his class a bit differently, he decided to teach them a life
lesson.

So when the class began, he took a big, big jar and wordlessly began to
Fill it with rocks, each one a couple of inches in diameter. He asked
the Class if the jar was full. They said yes.

He then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He
Shook the jar lightly, and the pebbles fell through and filled up some
of the Gaps between the rocks. He asked the class if the jar was full.
They said yes.

He then picked up a small bag of sand and poured it into the jar. He
Gently shook the jar, and the sand fell through and settled where there
was a Space between the rocks and the pebbles. He asked the class if
the jar was full. They said yes.

Now they were fascinated. He knew he had them.

So he took two bottles of lager from under the table, opened them and
carefully poured each into the jar. Of course, the sand absorbed the
beer...... and at last the jar was full. All the students laughed.

Once the laughter stopped, the professor calmly and quietly began
talking. Everyone in the classroom was hypnotised by his display.

This jar represents your life. The rocks are the most important things
: Family, children, your health, your partner. If everything was lost
and only they remained, your life would still be full. There was
silence in the room.

The pebbles are other pretty important things - your job, your house,
Your car. The sand is everything else. The small stuff. The stuff
that doesn't matter.

If you put the sand into the jar first, there will never be room for The
pebbles and the rocks. The same is true for your life. If you spend
All your time and energy worrying about the small stuff, you will never
Have time for anything else.

He paused and looked around.

There was nothing but silence, so he continued.

Happiness is paramount in life. And so you must pay attention to the
Big things that give you the most happiness. Play with your children.
Take time to go to the doctors when you don't feel well. Go out dancing
with your friends and your partner. If you do this, there will always
be Time to go to work, to clean the house, to deal with these kinds of
things.

ALWAYS take care of the rocks first - the things that really matter. Set
your priorities. The rest is just sand.

One of the students raised her hand and asked what the beer was all
about.

Now it was the professor's turn to smile.

I'm glad somebody noticed that. Remember this : No matter how full
Your life is and how much you have to deal with and how much you may
think You have to do, there will always be room for a couple of beers.