The Big Rock and the Jar

After talking to his students about scheduling all their activities, a high school science teacher takes a large mouth jar and places several large rocks in it. He then asks the class, "Is it full?"

Unanimously, the class replies, "Yes!"

The teacher then takes a bucket of gravel and pours it into the jar. The small rocks settle into the spaces between the big rocks.

He then asks the class, "Is the jar full now?"

Most of the students reply, "Yes." Some were reluctant to agree a second time.

The teacher then produces a large can of sand and proceeds to pour it into the jar. The sand fills up the spaces between the gravel and the big rocks. For the third time, the teacher asks, "Is the jar full?"

Convinced nothing else could go into the jar, many of the students answered, "Yes."

Then the teacher brings out a pitcher of water and pours it into the jar. The water saturates the sand and encases the gravel and rocks. At this point the teacher asks the class, "What is the point of this demonstration?"

One bright young student raises his hang and respond, "No matter how full our schedule is, we can always squeeze in more things to do."

"You might think that." replies the teacher, "but the point is that unless you first place the big rocks into the jar, you are never going to get them in. The big rocks are the important things in your life...your family, your friend, and your personal growth. If you fill your life with small things, as demonstrated with the gravel, sand, and water, you will never have the time for you important things."