Feeling overwhelmed? Not enough hours in your day? Ready to pull your hair out?
Pause a moment and reflect on this little story. Trust me, you’ll be glad you did.
Once upon a time, not too long ago, a philosophy professor stepped in front of his class holding two beers and a large cloth bag. The beers, of course, caught the student’s attention, because to most this professor came off as a bit of a curmudgeon — not exactly the beer drinking type, and certainly not the type to bring it in to class with him.
“I want you to pay close attention to this,” he told the students. “If you learn just one important lesson in your entire four years here, let it be this one.”
Out of the bag he pulled out a large glass jar and set it on the table in front of them. Next out of the bag came a whole lot of golf balls, which he proceeded to pour into the jar until no more would fit.
“Is this jar full?” he asked the class.
A general nodding of heads indicated they thought it was, indeed, full.
Reaching into the bag again, the professor produced a box of brightly colored pebbles, which he then poured into the jar. With some shaking he got them to fill the nooks and crannies in between the balls. “Well, now the jar is full, right?”
Again, a general nodding of heads and mumblings indicated they thought it was, indeed, full.
But once more the professor reached into the bag, and this time produced a box of sand. This he then poured into the jar, shaking it a bit, until the sand fit down into all the various nooks and crannies between the balls and the pebbles.
“Do you think it’s full now?” he asked the class.
Knowing he was up to something, they hesitated, but there was still a general consensus that the jar was now completely full.
Wearing an uncharacteristic smile, the professor opened both beers and one after the other poured them into the jar. Despite it being full of golf balls, pebbles, and sand, it also held the beer.
The students laughed.
“This jar,” the professor said, “it represents your life.” He looked around the room to make sure everyone was paying attention. “The jar is your life.”
They stared back in uncertainty and confusion.
“The golf balls represent the important things — your family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions. The things which, if everything else in your life was lost and only they remained — your life would still be full.”
A glimmer of understanding passed across the eyes of the students.
“The pebbles represent the other things that matter in your life,” he told them. “Your job, your house, your car — things like that. Important but not as important.”
He took a bit of the sand that was still left in the bottom of the bag and he scattered it around the table. “The sand represents everything else in your life. The small stuff. The daily minutia.”
Tapping the side of the jar with his fingers, the professor said, “If you put the sand into the jar first, there would have been no room for the pebbles and the golf balls.” He looked into the eyes of all the students, gazing at each one in turn. “The same goes for your life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, the minutia, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.”
“Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
“Spend time with your future children.
“Visit your grandparents.
“Take time to get medical checkups.
“Take someone you love out to dinner.
“There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal,” he told them. “Take care of the golf balls first — the things that really matter. Set your priorities.” Again he reached into the sack and tossed grit across the table and floor.
“The rest … the rest of it, it’s just sand.”
One of the students raised her hand and asked, “What does the beer represent?”
“I’m glad you asked,” said the professor, smiling at her. “That was just to show that, no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of beers with a friend.”
Forgive me if you’ve seen this before, but my ex just sent it to me and I thought, hey, this is perfect for the website. The original author is unknown…
I so totally enjoyed Brau Brothers’ 
This beer balls up its fists and punches you right in the taste buds. 
