An oldie, but a goodie:

A fellow blogging friend e-mailed me this anonymous story. I have come across it before, but It is so worthwhile and appropriate, especially at this time of the year, I decided to post it onto the blog to share with all of you!  Thank you my friend for sharing this thought provoking story.
A Professor quietly stood in front of his class while he had some things on his desktop. To start the class, He took large glass jar which was empty and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He broke his silence, asking students if the jar was full. Without exception, all of the students nodded.

The teacher then took a box with glass marbles and poured them between the golf balls which had earlier been put in the jug. The Professor shook the jug gently and the marbles trickled to the spaces that remained between the golf balls. Again, the Professor asked his students if the jar was full. Surprised students responded with a unanimous “Yes”.

The teacher took a small box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled the space that was left in the jug. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded loudly in unison, “Yes”.

The Professor pulled out two beer bottles from under his desk and poured them fully into the glass jar, filling the space between the sand. The students laughed.

“Now”, said the Professor as the laughter dwindled, “I want you to think that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things – your family, children, health, friends and your passions.

“If you lose everything and only these important things remain, your life would still be full and plenty. The marbles represent the other things that matter like your work, your home and your car. The sand is everything else, the rest.”

“If you put the sand first within the empty jar”, he continued,”You will never have more room for the marbles or golf balls. The same happens in your life.”

“If you spend all your time and energy on the small things,  you’ll never have room for the things that are really important”.

“Always pay attention to the things that are really important to be happy. To spend time with your children. To spend time with your parents. To visit your grandparents. Go out to dinner with your wife. Enjoy another family party. There will always be time later to clean the house and mowing the lawn”.

“Always worry about the golf balls first – the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand”.

Once the teacher had finished, one of the students raised his hand and asked what the beer represented. The Professor smiled and said, “it is good that you asked.

“The beer just shows that no matter how full of things your life may look, there is always time to share a couple of beers with a friend”.