A professor stood before his philosophy class with some items in
front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a
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 small pebbles and poured them
into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open
areas between the golf balls. He again 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 an 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: your family, your children, your health, your friends,
and your favorite 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 really do matter, like your job, your house, and your
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 important to you.”

“Pay attention,” he continued, “to the things that are critical to your
happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18 holes of golf. There
will always be time to clean the house and fix the garbage 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 the coffee
represented.

The professor smiled. “It’s 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.”

–Origin Unknown