My favorite professor in school shared this story with us today.

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A professor is standing in a class full of his students. He brought along with him a few items and placed them on the table.

Towards the end of his lecture, he picks up an empty mayonnaise jar and fills it with golf balls. Then, he asks his students, “Guys, do you think this jar is now full?”

All the students reply, “Yes!”

He then proceeds to pick up a few tiny pebbles and without emptying the jar fills the empty spaces with as much pebbles as he can. He again asks his students the same question. And they all agree that the jar is full. Even fuller than before, of course.

Now, he pickes up a bag of fine sands and fill up that jar again until it almost fully covers the entire jar. After the same question asked, his students reply that the jar is now completely and entirely full.

Suddenly, the professor picks up two cups of coffee and pour them into the jar, filling the last of the remaining spaces. The students smile and agree that the jar is full.

And then, finally, the professor speaks,

“You see this jar can be used to represent your life. The golf balls are the most important things in  your life, and they should be made priorities. They are the representatives of your family, your friends, and your loved ones. The pebbles and the sands are all the small stuff that you shouldn’t sweat too much over – your job, your house, your car. As you yourself have agreed, that even without the pebbles and the sand, you life would still be full.”

One student, then mentions, “Then what is the coffee for, Prof?”

He smiles and replies, “I’m glad you asked, the coffee is here to tell you that no matter how full your life is and how busy your days are, there should always be time for a cup of coffee with a friend. So, when the time is hard, and you feel that you have too much to handle and 24hours a day is simply not enough, just remember this Mayonnaise Jar and Two Cups of Coffee.”

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