A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. He picked up a large empty jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. When he couldn’t get another golf ball in the jar, he asked the class if the jar was full. They said it was.

The professors then picked up some marbles and poured them into the jar and shook the jar slightly. The marbles rolled in to the open areas between the golf balls and he asked again, “Is it full now?” They agreed that it was.

The professor then took a box of sand and poured the sand into the jar, and of course the sand filtered down into every crack between the golf balls and marbles. “Is it full now?” He got a unanimous “Yes.”

He then took two cups of coffee and poured them over the sand, effectively filling every miniscule space between the sand. The students laughed.

Then the professor told the class as the laughter subsided that the jar represents their life. The golf balls are the important things in life—God, family, children, health, friends, and favorite things.

The marbles are the other things that matter—job, house, car.

The sand is everything else—the small stuff.

Then he explained, “If you put the sand into the jar first, there is no room for the marbles or 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. So play with your children, take time to get physical checkups, take your spouse out to dinner. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”

One of the students raised her hand. “What does the coffee represent?”

“I’m glad you asked. The coffee just goes to show that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.”

Live your life fully.