#014 ROCK, PEBBLES AND SAND


A teacher walks into a classroom and sets a glass jar on the table. He silently places 2-inch rocks in the jar until
no more can fit. He asks the class if the jar is full and
they agree it is. He says, “Really?” and pulls out a pile of small pebbles, adding them to the jar, shaking it slightly until they fill the spaces between the rocks. He asks again, “Is the jar full?” They agree. So next, he adds a scoop of sand to the jar, filling the space between the pebbles and asks the question again. This time, the class is divided, some feeling that the jar is obviously full, but others are wary of another trick. So he grabs a pitcher of water and fills the jar to the brim, saying, “If this jar is your life, what does this experiment show you?” 
A bold student replies, “No matter how busy you think you are, you can always take on more.” 
“That is one view,” he replies. Then he looks out at the class making eye contact with everyone, “The rocks represent the BIG things in your life – what you will value at the end of your life – your soul, your family, your partner, your health, fulfilling your hopes and dreams. The pebbles are the other things in your life that give it meaning, like your job, your house, your hobbies, your friendships. The sand and water represent the ‘small stuff’ that fills our time, like playing sports, watching TV or running errands.” 
Looking out at the class again, he asks, “Can you see what would happen if I started with the sand or the pebbles?” In other words if we focused more on the sand than in the rocks.

 Analyse your life carefully, what or who do you give most of your valuable time? There is no rewind button in real life. Share it and comment if you would like to express yourself.

Comments

  1. Nicole N18 May 2017 at 23:06

    I totally agree with the phrase of the picture, and I also believe that there are priorities in our lives, we must focus first in the most important "things" for us. What would happen if you focused more on the sand than in the rocks? Well, in my opinion, your life wouldn't have a coherent order or sense .. For me, love is the most important "thing" or feeling in this life, for me love is the basis of all, without love we are lost.. :)

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    1. Anonymous19 May 2017 at 07:38

      Once again you've got the main point Nicole, If we cared about those little things more than the things that really matters, our lives would be a disaster, a real mess, by the way, isn't it what happens to many people? They don't put their lives in order, thus they live as a "chicken without head" :3

      Delete
  2. Unknown12 August 2018 at 11:00

    In my opinion, this reading reflects very well the importance of focusing our time and effort on everything that represents a priority in our lives and that together with the rest forms a harmonious whole.
    Otherwise, our lives would not have a balance and we would end up prioritizing unnecessary things.
    Personally, I believe that the priority of each person must be to become a better version of one each day :) . Esther Aguilar Lucas

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    1. Anonymous12 August 2018 at 19:40

      Right, the thing is that many times we lose time on things we shouldn't and when we realise it we've got the feeling that everything will change, yet it doesn't cus we easily forget it. Btw your last sentence is a good one.

      Delete
  3. Unknown13 August 2018 at 13:57

    The way I see it, this story leaves us with a very important teaching: we must learn to recognize the priorities in our lives. Once we have achieved this we must give these the real importance and priority in our life, if we recognize that the family is the "rock" of our life we ​​must devote to it most of our time and always put it first. In conclusion we must always put first the most important things in our lives and never spend less time than the less important things, which is a mistake that many of us usually make.

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    1. Anonymous17 August 2018 at 09:10

      I agree with you, but what about God? I mean we forget to talk to him, to pray and be close to him, I'm telling you cus' it is something that almost always happens to me. Then we'll find peace and happiness in ourselves so we can share them with others. It is unbelievable how we can get busy and don't remember the real priorities in life, even it happens with the internet, some people or most of them are addicted to it and what about real life? man, we should be mature enough to recognize we are wrong and change when talking about prioritizing.

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  4. Unknown18 September 2018 at 06:00

    I agree with the reflection. In my point of view, we focus our mind on having the best things than the people who we know and we appreciate material things more than the feelings so I believe that the time and memories with the people we love are more important. Our time is limited so we should appreciate it.

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  5. Unknown18 September 2018 at 07:48


    I agree with this reading because many people always opt for the material without noticing the meaning of life as our family, friends, etc. When you identify a priority and decide to bet on it, suddenly you feel fulfilled and calm, since everything fits inside you.
    Carmen Ibarra

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  6. Unknown25 September 2018 at 20:37

    i think it's interesting and good reflection , because there are important things and people that most of the time we do not give them the time they spend and that is why we often feel that we are missing something and that your life does not make sense. simply as the author says we should prioritize what you value at the end of your life.

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  7. Unknown19 October 2018 at 22:12

    I think this story offers us the possibility to change the manner to organize our priorities.
    I feel some people usually go through life without stopping and saying they don't have time enough but the truth is they haven't realized that they've organized their priorities badly, leaving aside the things that enrich the soul and could will make them better people.
    Let's not lose our faith, the love, our dreams or health for to put first the "little things" because those little things will have their place, and if it isn’t there, we would never feel empty.
    I think there is always time for everything, we must give more time to Rocks and pebbles too, because it's important for go ahead proud of the life we live. :)

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