How Full Is Your Jar?

By Nikki Stone HERWriter

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In light of all the catastrophic issues so many are dealing with after Hurricane Sandy, I thought it was a good time to reflect and give ourselves some perspective on what’s most important.

I received an e-mail a number of years ago that has always stuck with me. Whether it was a true story or not doesn’t really matter. The lesson is real. And it's a lesson that has helped me in the athletic, academic and business world.

The e-mail told of a professor who wanted to teach his students about determining the most important things in life.

The Mayonnaise Jar and Two Cups of Coffee

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when twenty-four hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the two cups of coffee!

A professor stood before his philosophy class with some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large, empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar, which he shook lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

He next picked up a box of sand and poured it in. Of course, the sand filled up all the other spaces. He asked yet again if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."

The professor finally produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," he said as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things—your family, your children, your health, your friends and the things you’re passionate about. If everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

“The pebbles are the other things that matter, like your job, your house and your car.

“The sand is everything else—the small stuff. If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there’s no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

"Pay attention to the things that are really critical to your happiness. Spend time with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another eighteen holes. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first—the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled and said, "I'm glad you asked. The coffee just shows you that, no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple cups of coffee with a friend."

Here’s hoping that all of your jars runneth over!

********** Motivational Weight Management Tip **********

As an Olympian, best-seller, inspirational speaker, and Biggest Loser motivational expert, I’m often asked for tips, tools, quotes and activities to help people reach their goals. I like to end all of my blogs with short tools that are driven from actual advice I’ve shared.

This week's tip:

“You take the struggle out of life, you take the growth out of the people.” ~Warren Osborn
Remember that this whole process is helping you grow mentally and emotionally as a person. The challenges will help make you stronger and you’ll find that it’s not just the physical aspects you are enhancing.

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At the Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, Japan, Nikki Stone became America’s first-ever Olympic Champion in the sport of aerial skiing. What made this performance so unbelievable was the fact that less than two years earlier, a chronic spinal injury prevented her from standing, much less walking or skiing off an aerial jump.

Nikki’s achievements have carried far beyond the slopes as she now works as an accomplished motivational speaker for national and international corporations and was a motivational coach for a national Biggest Loser program.

Nikki has also recently released the inspirational bestseller When Turtles Fly: Secrets of Successful People Who Know How to Stick Their Necks Out (with contributors Lindsey Vonn, Shaun White, Tommy Hilfiger, and more). For more information, please visit www.WhenTurtlesFly.com/ and www.NikkiStone.com/

Edited by Jody Smith

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We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.