Mayonnaise Jar ready? A story for the depressed?
Posted on: September 1, 2013
Mayonnaise Jar ready? A story for the depressed?
When life seems hard to handle, when 24 hours in a day is not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and two cups of coffee.
A professor stood before his philosophy class.
A professor stood before his philosophy class.
Wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar in front of the class, and fills it with golf balls.
He asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
The professor picked up a box of pebbles and poured it into the jar.
The professor picked up a box of pebbles and poured it into the jar.
He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles filled the empty spaces between the golf balls.
The professor 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 the remaining empty spaces.
He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous “YES”.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up the remaining empty spaces.
He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous “YES”.
The magic professor 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, I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things – God, family, children, health, friends, and favorite passions. Things, that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.
“Now, I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things – God, family, children, health, friends, and favorite passions. Things, that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.
The pebbles are the things that matter like your job, house, and car.
The sand is everything else — the small stuff.” he said.
“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 important to you…” the professor told them.
“Pay attention to what are critical to your happiness first. Worship with your family. Play with your children. Take your partner out to dinner. Spend quality time with good friends.
There will always be time to clean the house and fix the dripping tap.
Take care of the golf balls first, tasks and jobs 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 and said, “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.”
The professor smiled and said, “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.”
Adonis Diaries 
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