2009- This was recently sent to me and I wanted to pass it along.

Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.

A professor stood before his philosophy class with several items in front of him. Once the class began, he silently picked up a very large, empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. The entire class agreed that it was full.

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. "Yes it is" they responded quickly.

The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. The sand filled up everything else. He looked around the classroom and asked "Now, is the jar full?" The students responded more slowly this time with a questioning "Yes?"

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured their entire content 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 understand that this jar represents your life:

1. The golf balls are the important things - your family, your children, your health,  your friends and your favorite passions. If you lost everything else but them, your life would still be full.

2. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your possessions

3. The sand is everything else--the small stuff. If you put the sand into the jar first, there would be 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 truly important."

 Now, with the full attention of the entire class, the professor continued, "Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18 holes. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. 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 about the coffee? What does it represent."

 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."

 Quoted from the Sikhism Philosophy Network