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When things in your life seem almost too much to handle,
when 24 hours in a day are not enough,
remember the mayonnaise jar...and the beer.

A professor stood before his philosophy class
and had some items in front of him.
When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very 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.

So 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.
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 cans of beer 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, 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 matter
like your job, your house, 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 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.
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 the beer represented.
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 beers."

Great story...Now I'm thirsty...

I'll drink to that!!!

Mr. a-holic, if I ever make it back up to the Keystone State, I'll gladly purchase you an adult beverage, and get Card a Dr. Pepper...

Why thank you kind friend, like-wise, the pleasure would be mine if I'm every in South Carolina.

I got this joke in an email, except it was coffee instead of beer.

I like this version better. :D

P.S. Does anybody know how to get the smilies? I was looking for a drinking smiley for like 5 minutes before giving up and going with ":D"

Wasn't aware their was a caffiene version out there....that's nonsense!

That's an exellent story.

That is very good...something I'm sure I could benefit from thinking of more often...except the beer part, that is.

Beer of course can be substituted as Greg stated.

I've always liked this story - the first time I heard it was in NCO Leadership School when I was in the Air Force.

A similar live demonstration they used went like this:
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1) Take a large jar and place 3 unshelled walnuts in the bottom.
2) Fill the rest of the jar with shelled peanuts.
3) Shake the jar for a minute or so.
4) What always happens? The walnuts come to the top of the jar.

Moral of the demonstration: The biggest nut always surfaces when things get shaken up!
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That's an interesting twist.