One day, an expert in time management was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, used a demonstration he hoped they wouldn't forget. As he stood in front of the group of high powered overachievers, he said, "Okay, time for a quiz."
He pulled out a one-gallon, wide mouth mason jar and set it on the table in front of him. Then, he produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar. When the jar was filled to the top, and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, "Is this jar full?" Everyone in the class said, "Yes!"
Then, he said, "Really?" He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. He dumped some gravel in and shook the jar, causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the bigger rocks. He asked the group once more, "Is the jar full?" By this time, the class was on to him. "Probably not," one of them answered.
"Good," he replied. He reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand into the jar and the sand went into all of the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more, he asked the question, "Is this jar full?" No one in the class answered.
Once again he said, "Good." Then, he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. He looked at the class and asked, "What is the point of this demonstration?" One eager beaver raised his hand and said, "The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard, you can always fit some more things into it."
"No," the expert replied, "that's not the point. The real point is: Start with big rocks! ...or they won't fit! What are the big rocks in your life? Time with your loved ones? your faith, education, your dreams? A worthy cause? Teaching or mentoring others?"
He added, "So, tonight, or in the morning, when you are reflecting on all of this, ask yourself: What are my personal big rocks? They go into your jar first, the rest of life will fit in around them."