Note: I was requested to share this article again for the beginning of year 2023.
Rocks, Pebbles and Sand
No, I am not asking you to be a geologist!
The Weird Demonstration
The audience was mesmerized.
All their collective attention was focused on the 3 glass jars sitting on the table on the dais.
Three weird items sat on a tray next to the glass jars.
The first were some huge shapeless rocks, second were many small pebbles and finally, gasp, a big mound of sand.
What it was all about the audience had no clue but were they curious!
They were gnawing away at their finger nails frenetically.
The speaker first went for the sand and poured that into the farthest jar (Jar No 3 to keep count) filling it to the brim.
He then picked up the pebbles and dropped them into Jar no 2 also filling them to the top.
Finally, he picked up some of the huge, shapeless rocks and placed them into Jar no 1.
The rocks came up to the brim of the jar too but with gaps between the shapeless chunks.
The speaker paused and looked up.
He was checking whether he had his audience's attention and boy oh boy he did!
Their curiosity was driving them nuts.
What in heck was he doing?
The Sand and the Pebbles
Breaking the silence, the speaker spoke.
"The sand represents life's innumerable small niggles, the itsy bitsy tasks that fill up your life.
The urgent (and most often the unimportant) tasks that you latch on to (or was it the other way round, they latch on to you).
You attempt to execute as fast as you can.” he continued.
“My gosh, life’s niggles are indeed countless and seem to take forever to complete.
And then when you completed them you were left with very little time to do anything else."
The Speaker paused for effect.
He was enjoying himself.
But the audience did not care.
They just wanted more to get to the bottom of the mystery of the jars.
"Aah, now the pebbles," the speaker went on.
"The pebbles are the mid sized goals or projects in life that you gave more importance than the small tasks that the sand represented.
These were going to school, college, work, buying a house, car, jewelry and so on."
By now, the audience were on the edge of their seats.
They wanted to know immediately what the shapeless rocks were all about.
As if divining their thoughts, the speaker continued: "Yes, of course, the big rocks!
How can you imagine life without these?
And yet" he looked up triumphantly, "they are the ones that are sacrificed,"
Life's Priorities
"Let me explain the purpose of this whole demonstration," the speaker spoke with the air of a magician about to pull the rabbit of the hat.
This was his moment.
"It all boils down to your priorities in life.
Take Jar No 3.
Assume you have filled your life with the merely trivial, inconsequential tasks, just like the sand.
You will be left with no time or space to bring in your goals or projects represented by the pebbles.
Take Jar No 2.
If you focused on the mid sized goals or projects, then you would still have some time to complete the trivial tasks.
Saying this, the speaker poured as much sand as Jar No 2 could take with its pebble contents.
"Ah, yes, Jar No 1."
The speaker was almost gloating now.
"In Jar No 1, you have FIRST placed the Big rocks of your life - the significant missions, crusades, accomplishments, adventures, passions that give meaning to your existence.
Having done this first, you now still have time to throw in the mid sized goals as well as the trivial tasks."
Saying which, the speaker dropped as many pebbles as the gaps in Jar No 1 could take.
He then poured as much sand as the crevices in Jar No 1 allowed.
The Speaker went on: "Which of the 3 jars do your life's priorities reflect?
The audience fell silent.
They now knew the objective of the entire demonstration.
It was a moment for reflection.
Let Me Leave You With This Thought
Let me ask you this.
Is your life represented by Jar No 1, 2 or 3?
Are you aware of the Big Rocks in your life?
Do you think priorities in life make a difference?
Think about it.
It could well be life transforming.
