Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Big Rocks

I read a story recently about a motivational speaker inspiring his crowd. He places a large jar on the podium in front of him and puts several large rocks inside the jar. He then asks the crowd, "Is the jar full?" Most of the crowd responds, "Yes". Well.....the speaker then pours some gravel into the jar which trickles into some of the unfilled spaces. He asks again, "Is the jar full?" A little wiser to his scheme, the crowd responds, "No". The speaker then adds some sand to the jar, further filing in the tiny spaces, again following up with the question, "Is the jar full?" An emphatic "No" resounds. The speaker takes out a pitcher of water, pouring in several cups before stopping. He then asks this question, "What is the moral of this exercise?" Many people respond something along the lines of: you can always add more things to your life, even when it seems already full. "No," the speaker says, "The point is.....

.....if I didn't put the big rocks in first, they never would've been able to fit."

This illustration spoke volumes to me and I've been mulling it over for the last week. For me at least, if I don't make it a priority to get certain things done on a daily basis, they just plain, DON'T GET DONE. I had a really enjoyable conversation with Hubs about his Big Rocks. We both realize that some Rocks that are in our jars shouldn't be and there are some that aren't in there, that should be. So, I've been asking myself what my Big Rocks are....

What are your Big Rocks?

5 comments:

Peaceful Chaoz said...

What are your big rocks? :0) Maybe if you gave an example I could give you some of mine, but then again maybe not,lol!

Rebecca said...

I am still thinking on it, but my big rocks are daily quiet times, exercise, homeschooling, improving my marriage/family & being a keeper of my home.....

Anna said...

I love it....so true. I would have many of the same big rocks, but I have also been finding that I need to carve out time for decluttering/reorganizing. Keeping the house clean is just not enough. If we are going to have a peaceful home, I need to focus on finding the best way to utilize our home and achieving that. Off to work on that...

Peaceful Chaoz said...

Playing off of Anna, I think my main one right now is Having a Peaceful Home. ;0)

Anonymous said...

Always a good lesson to remember. My big rocks are pretty simple ... God, communication with dh, real time with my kids, peace at home.

I've been on a very big decluttering/reorganizing campaign lately, so I can really appreciate anna's comment. Walking downstairs in the morning to see open space, less clutter, useful items in accessible places - it's a wonderful feeling - like my heart is more free and decluttered too, not just the house!

When you focus on those big rocks, your perspective becomes so much healthier. If the gravel and sand don't get done for a particular day/week, the world won't come crashing down. As long as the big ones are covered, I feel so much more at peace myself, and it definitely carries over to my kids and how they behave!