When things in your life seem almost too much to handle,
When 24 hours is not enough,
Remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee.

A philosopher stood in front of his class, picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and started to fill it with golf balls.
He then asked the students if it was full. They agreed it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar.
He shooked the jar lightly and 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.

Next, the professor 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 replied with an unanimous "yes".

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured everything into the jar, effectively filling the empty spaces between the sand.
The students laughed.

The professor then said
Now, I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.
The gold balls are the important things - family, friends, children, health and favourite passions. Things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.
The pebbles are the things that matter - job, house, car.
The sand is everything else - the small stuff.

If you put the sand into the jar first, there is no room for the pebbles and golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time on the small things in life, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.
So, pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
There will always be time to clean the house and fix the dripping tap.

Take care of the golf balls first - the things that really matter.
Set your priorities right. The rest is just sand.

One of the students raised her hands and asked what the coffee represented.
The professor smiled and said
It just goes to show that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.