Jar of Rocks

I guess you can tell when I am in a learning phase or really enjoying a class I am in since it normally comes out here. Right now the class I am taking is where I thrive; it is personal leadership and development, and I LOVE IT! Analyzing where I am, who I am, where I want to be, my vision, goals, calling… It’s all great. Over this past year I think I have come to realize how beneficial it is to be strategically looking at my life and who I am so that I can live out my life in the fullest sense.

Our professor shared from a book called First Things First, by Stephen Covey. I thought it was really good and helped me have a picture for what it looks like to prioritize my life.

In First Things First, Stephen Covey tells a story that one of his associates heard at a seminar. The seminar presenter pulled out a wide-mouth gallon jar and places it next to a pile of fist-sized rocks. After filling the jar to the top with rocks, he asked, “is the jar full?” The group replied, “yes.” He then got some gravel from under the table and added it to the jar. The speaker jiggles that jar until the gravel filled the spaces between the rocks. Again, he asked, “Is the jar full?” This time, the group replied, “Probably not.” The speaker then added some sand and asked, “Is the jar full?” “No!” shouted the group. Finally, the speaker filled the jar to the brim with water and asked the group the point of the illustration. Someone replied that you could always fit more things into your life if “you really work at it.” “No” countered the speaker, The point is if you don’t put the big rocks in first, “… would you ever have gotten any of them in?”

As I think about my own life, figuring out how to put the “big rocks” in first I think is really important. What are the things that I know I cannot do without? My relationship with God? My relationship with my husband? Working out? Volunteering? Spending time with family and friends? For me, challenging myself to make sure that I am setting priorities in my life is really important. If I fill my life up with many little things, the most important things will not fit.

So how is your jar? Are you full with little more meaningless things, or is your life consistent with your values and priorities?