Everything Else is Just Sand

Everything Else is Just Sand 

A professor of philosophy was teaching his students in the class. He had some items on the table in front of him. He picked an empty glass jar, about three inches in diameter and six inches in height and showed it to the class. Then he filled the jar with rocks or stones, about two inches in diameter. 

When the jar was full he showed it to his students and asked whether it was full. All the students agreed that the jar was full. Then he took very small pebbles and put them into the jar. The pebbles found their places between the bigger rocks inside the jar. Once again he asked his students whether the jar was full. They agreed that it was full. The professor did not stop there. Then he picked some sand from the table and began to pour it into the jar. The sand very easily reached the empty places and filled up everything. One again he asked the class whether the jar was full. They unanimously agreed that it was full. 

The professor picked the jar in his hand and showing it to the students said, “Imagine that your life is also like this jar. The bigger stones are the important things: your family, your partner, your health, your children, and all those things which will remain with you even if everything else is lost.” The students were listening to him very attentively. The professor continued, “These smaller pebbles are the other things which are less important: your house, your job, your car, your ornaments, etc. And the sand represents everything else that is less important. You can call it small stuff.” The students were still not able to make out what their professor was trying to convey to them. 

The professor began to speak again, “If you put this sand in the jar first, it will occupy the entire jar and there will be no room for pebbles and stones. The same thing can be applied to your life. If you continue to store trivial things or small stuff, you will never have room for the important things. You must pay attention to the things which are really important and critical to your happiness. Take them in your life first. Your partner, your family, your wife, your children, and relatives are the important people. After that you can pay attention to less important things like house, car, etc. Finally, you can take the small stuff like the sand.” Take the stones in first and then go for pebbles. 

Moral : "Set your priorities by yourselves. Everything else is just sand, not so important."