A Professor stood before his philosophy class and 
had some items in front of him. 

When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a 
very large empty glass jar and then proceeded to 
fill it with golf balls.  

He asked the students if the jar was full. 

They agreed that it was. 

The Professor next 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 responded with a unanimous “yes.” 

The Professor then produced two cups of coffee from 
under the table and poured the entire contents into the
jar, effectively filling the space between the grains of sand. 

“Now,” said the professor, 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 your 
favourite passions – things that 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 is 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 critical to your 
happiness. Play with your children.  

Take time to get medical checkups. 

Take your partner out to dinner.  

There will always be time to clean the house and 
fix the waste 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. “I’m glad 
you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how 
full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple 
of cups of coffee with a friend.” 

This story is a great reminder that taking time for the 
important things in your life is a vital part of being happy. 

Action Exercise: 

1: What are the most important things in your own life?  

Write them down. These are the golf balls in this story. 

2: Invest some time every day on the golf balls in your life. 

3: A great way to focus on the important things in your life
is to set up a bucket list. This is a great way to create more
fun, excitement and adventure in your life.  

There is a wonderful guide called Inspired for Life that shows
you how to set up and use a bucket list. You can download
a complimentary copy of this guide from this link on our website. 

Put in link to download booklet 

At Resilient Minds we help our clients to develop high resilience
so they can perform at high levels on the really important
things in both their work and personal lives. 

Have a great week. 

Jamie Ford
Kim Tay
Thought Leaders in Productivity and Wellbeing
www.resilientminds.co.nz  

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