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If you are overwhelmed…try this
Have you ever be so stressed that you felt like you were putting “10lbs. into 5-lb. bag”? If so, it may be a good time for you to take a step back and re-examine your priorities. To help put yourself in the right mindset, here is a piece a good friend shared with me many years ago. I have referred to it often:
To all the rocks in your life… A philosophy professor stood before his class and had some items in front of him. When class began, wordlessly he picked up a large empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks. They were about 2 inches in diameter. 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 rolled them into open areas between the rocks. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They said yes. He then picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course the sand filled up everything else. Now, said the professor, I want you to recognize that this is your life. The rocks are the important things – your family, your partner, your health, your children, and anything that is so important to you that if it were lost, you would be nearly destroyed. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job your house, and your car. The sand is everything else. If you put the sand in the jar first, there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your energy and time on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pat attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out dancing. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party and fix the disposal. Take care of the rocks first – the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.
Next question: How do we determine our top priorities? (Big rocks) Look at all the tasks and activities before you and ask these two questions:
- How much will I benefit if I do this task or activity?
- How much will I suffer if I don’t?
If the answer is “strong benefit” or “strong suffering”, you are probably looking at an “A” priority. Put the “big rocks” in first, and the less important will find its way around the rocks.