Hello everyone
One day, an old professor from the National School of Public Administration was hired to give a training on
Effective time planning for a group of about fifteen senior executives from major companies.
This course was one of the five workshops in their training day. The old professor therefore had only one hour to impart his knowledge.
…
Standing before this elite group, ready to take notes on everything the expert was about to teach, the old professor looked at them one by one,
slowly, then told them: "We are going to conduct an experiment."
From beneath the table that separated him from his students, the old teacher pulled out a huge one-gallon Mason jar (a glass jar
of 4 liters) which he placed delicately in front of him.
Then, he took out about a dozen stones, roughly the size of tennis balls, and placed them carefully, one
one per, in the big pot.
When the jar was filled to the brim and it was impossible to add another pebble, he slowly raised his eyes toward his
students and asked them: "Is this pot full?"
They all replied: "Yes."
He waited a few seconds and added: “Really?”
Then, he bent down again and pulled a container filled with gravel from under the table.
With meticulous care, he poured the gravel over the large stones and then gently stirred the pot.
The gravel pieces worked their way between the pebbles… down to the bottom of the pot.
The old professor raised his eyes to his audience again and asked once more: “Is this pot full?”
This time, his brilliant students were beginning to understand his game.
One of them replied: "Probably not!" "Good!" the old professor replied.
He bent down again and this time pulled a cauldron of sand out from under the table.
Carefully, he poured the sand into the pot.
The sand went to fill the spaces between the large stones and the gravel.
Once again, he asked, “Is this pot full?”
This time, without hesitation and in unison, the brilliant students replied: “No!” “Good!” the old professor replied.
And, as his prestigious students expected, he took the pitcher of water that was on the table and filled the pot to the brim.
The old professor then looked up at his group and asked, “What great truth does this experiment demonstrate?”
Not crazy, the most daring of the students, pondering the subject of this course, replied: "This demonstrates that even when one believes
that our schedule is completely full; if we really want to, we can add more appointments, more things to do.
"No," the old professor replied. "That's not it."
The great truth that this experiment demonstrates is the following
If we don’t put the big rocks in the jar first, we’ll never be able to fit them all in later.
There was a profound silence, each person becoming aware of the obviousness of these remarks.
The old professor then tells them:
What are the big rocks in your life?
How is your health?
Your family?
Your friends?
Make your dreams come true?
Do what you love?
Learn?
Defend a cause?
Relax?
Take the time…?
Or… anything else?
The key takeaway is the importance of putting your BIG ROCKS first in your life, otherwise you risk not succeeding… in life.
If we give priority to trivialities (gravel, sand), we will fill our lives with trivialities and no longer have enough
precious time to devote to the important aspects of one's life
So, don’t forget to ask yourself this question:
What are the big rocks in my life?
Then, put them first in your pot (life)
With a friendly wave of his hand, the old professor greeted his audience and slowly left the room.
Twelve reasons to keep smiling!
Hold on to your dreams,
without ever abandoning them.
Show others your true nature,
because I know her well: You are a remarkable person.
Recognize your good fortune and place your trust in those around you.
Make a wish to the lucky star that lights up your sky…!
Take one problem at a time and solve it.
Feed on all your inner strength.
Release that spirit you sometimes try to smother.
Stay close to those who love you.
Adopt a positive outlook,
and do not let adversity get the better of you.
Stay true to yourself, for you possess these unique qualities
who have allowed you to become the person you are today,
and who will always guide you.
Keep your spirits up.
Let your heart sing and breathe in joy.
Marylena
