Make Sure You're Taking Care Of The Big Things

A philosophy professor did a demonstration for his college class to prove a point.  I'm sorry I don't know the name of the professor to give him proper credit, but whoever he is, he did an excellent job.  Here is what he did.

He filled an empty pickle jar with golf balls, and when there was room for no more, he asked the class if there was any more room in the jar.  They all said "No."  He then took a cup of small pebbles, and poured it into the jar with the golf balls.  He asked the class again if the jar was full.  Again, they answered, "No."  Next, he took a cup of sand and pour it into the pickle jar, filling all the remaining cracks and crevices.  He asked the class again if the jar was full.  The again answered, "No."  Finally, he took a cup of chocolate milk and poured it into the jar.  Amazingly, there was still room for the milk.  The professor asked for a final time if the jar was full, and indeed it finally was.  What was the point of the demonstration?

The professor told the class that life is full of big, important things, like job, family and friends.  It is also filled with smaller things, like things you need to do around the house, shopping, getting your car washed.  Using the example of the pickle jar, the professor said that if the golf balls had not been put in the jar first (important things in life), they never would have fit.  You must take care of the important things in life first, the other stuff can all wait.  One student raised his hand and asked what the chocolate milk represented.  The teacher paused for a moment then said, "Whatever is going on in your life, there's always room for chocolate."