Big Rocks

As I was working on my Work/Life Balance Workshop, this story came to mind. Many years ago as a management trainee, a leadership facilitator provided us with a large mason jar, a number of fist-sized rocks, a bucket of gravel, a bucket of sand, and a pitcher of water. She then asked us to fit all of this into these items into the jar. We tried a number of combinations but to no avail. We tried to layer the gravel, sand then rocks. This didn’t work.

Finally, the instructor showed us the way. She first placed the big rocks in the jar, followed by the gravel, followed by the sand. Just when we thought that she wasn’t going to be successful and to our amazement, she poured the entire pitcher of water into the jar. Everything fit. She proceeded to tell us that if you put the big rocks in first, everything else will fall into place. If you put all the other stuff in first, the big rocks will never fit.

What are the big rocks in your life and what is the other stuff that’s filling your jar? Some big rocks may be getting an education, spending quality time with those that you love, volunteering, building your faith or starting a relationship. If you focus on the big things in your life, you'll be amazed at how much you can get done. Order does matter.