What is most important to YOU ?
Lessons from an old story…
Do you sometimes feel so busy, that you don’t even get time to think, you run on auto pilot racing around to tick off your “to do” list, but while you tick off at the top it grows longer at the bottom ? You try to fit everything into the day but unexpected requests from friends and events that weren’t planned, throw you off. When people tell you, “just spend some time to plan your day” or “just decide what to cancel” you think “I don’t even have time for that, I don’t have time to sit down and plan and think”. I ask you only one question “Do you know what is most important to YOU” ?
Let me tell you a story.
A very famous Chinese professor from a very famous Chinese university sat in front of a group of new students. In front of him was a large glass jar, translucent and slightly green. The kind of jar people may keep plants in.
The professor looked at the students but said nothing. Then he leaned down to his right. By his foot was a pile of fist-sized rocks. He took a rock and very carefully dropped it through the hole at the top of the neck of the jar.
He turned to the group and said: “Tell me, is the jar now full?” The group murmured assent: the jar was now full.
the professor said nothing and turned to this left side. By his foot was a pile of pebbles. He took a handful of pebbles and carefully poured them through the hole at the top of the neck of the jar. Handful by handful, around the rocks, until no more pebbles could be poured through the hole at the top of the neck of the jar.
He turned to the group and said: “Tell me, is this jar now full?” The group mumbled that it certainly appeared as if the jar could possibly now be full.
The professor said nothing and turned again to his right. By his foot was a pile of coarse dry sand. He took a handful of sand and carefully poured it through the hole at the top of the neck of the jar. Around the rocks, around the pebbles, handful by handful, until no more sand could be poured through he hole at the top of the neck of the jar.
He turned to the group and said: “Tell me, is the jar now full?” There was silence.
The professor said nothing and turned again to his left side. By his foot was a jug of water. He took the jug and carefully poured the water through the hole at the top of the neck of the jar. Around the rocks, the pebbles, the sand. Until no more water could be poured through the hole at the top of the neck of the jar.
He turned to the group and said: “Tell me, is the jar now full?” There was silence, even more profound than before.
The professor turned again to his right. On a small blue square of paper he had a small pile of fine dry salt. He took a handful of salt and carefully dissolved it in the water at the top of the neck of the jar. Handful by handful in the water, around the sand, around the pebbles, around the rocks until no more salt could be dissolved in the water at the top of the neck of the jar.
Once again the professor turned to the group and said: “Tell me, is the jar now full?” One very courageous student stood up and said: “No Professor, it is not yet full.” The professor said: “Aaah! But is IS now full.”
The professor then invited all the people who were there to consider the meaning of his story. What did it mean ? How did they interpret it ? Why had the professor told it ? And after some minutes the professor listened to their reflections. There were as many interpretations as there were people in the room.
When the professor had heard from each of the students, he congratulated them, saying that it was hardly surprising there were so many different interpretations. After all, everybody there was a unique individual who had lived through unique experiences unlike those of anybody else. Their interpretations simply reflected their own lived experience and the particular and unique perspective through which they understood the world.
And in that sense no interpretation was any better, or any worse than any other. And, he wondered, were the group curious to know his own interpretation Which of course, he stated, was no better or worse than theirs. It was simply his interpretation.
Oh yes, they were curious.
“Well”, he said, ” my interpretation is simply this. Whatever you do in life, whatever the context, just make sure you get your rocks in first.” – End of Story.
Do you know what the rocks, the pebbles, the sand and the water are for you … in your life ?
Whatever they are for you, JUST MAKE SURE YOU GET Y O U R ROCKS IN FIRST ! They won’t fit afterwards.
Your Perfect Summer Holiday in the Bavarian Alps
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July 17th, 2007 at 12:20 am
[...] presents What is most important to YOU? posted at Develop & [...]
August 7th, 2007 at 10:03 am
[...] presents What is most important to YOU? posted at Develop & Grow retelling a story that illustrates how one should reconsidering [...]
August 10th, 2007 at 8:51 am
Great story. Thanks for sharing it.