What are the big stones in your life?...

     
    One day, an old professor of the
  national School of administration
  (ENA-France) was asked to give a
  training-course on the effective
  economic planning of one's time to a
  group of about fifteen leaders of big
  companies from North - America.
     
    This class consisted of one of the 5
  workshops of their day of training. So,
  the old Prof. only had one hour to spend
  on this subject.
     
    Standing in front of this group of
  elite who were ready to note down
  everything that the expert was going to
  teach, the old Prof. looked at them one
  by one, slowly, then said to them:
     
    "We are going to make an experiment".
     
    From under the table which separated
  him from his pupils, the old Prof. took
  out an immense Mason jar of a gallon
  (glass jar of more than 4 liters) which
  he directly put in front of him.
     
    Then, he took out about a dozen
  pebbles roughly as big as tennis balls
  and placed them delicately, one by one,
  in the big jar. When the jar was filled
  up to the brim, and when it was
  impossible to add anything to it, he
  slowly raised his eyes towards the
  pupils, and asked them:
     
    "Is this jar full?"
     
    Everybody answered: "Yes".
     
    He waited for a few seconds and added:
  "Really?"
     
    Then, he bent again and took out from
  under the table a pot filled with little
  stones. With accuracy, he poured these
  little pebbles on the big stones, then
  softly moved the jar around.
     
    The fragments of little pebbles went
  between the stones down to the bottom of
  the jar. The old Prof. raised his eyes
  again towards his audience and asked:
     
    "Is this jar full?".
     
    This time, his brilliant pupils began
  to understand the whole process. One of
  them answered:
     
    "Probably not!"
   
    "Well!" answered the old Prof..
     
    He bent again and this time, took out
  from under the table a bucket of sand.
  With attention, he poured the sand into
  the jar. The sand went to fill the
  spaces between the big stones and the
  little pebbles. Once again, he asked:
     
    "Is this jar  full?". This time,
  without hesitation, and in a choir, the
  brilliant pupils answered:
     
    "No!".
     
    "Well!" answered  the old Prof. And,
  as expected by the brilliant pupils, he
  took the jug of water which was on the
  table and filled the jar up to the brim.
  Then, the old Prof. raised his eyes
  towards his group and asked:
     
    "Which big truth does this experiment
  show us?" .
     
    Being no fool, the most audacious of
  the pupils, thinking about the topic of
  this course, answered:
     
    "It shows that even when one believes
  that our diary is completely filled, if
  one wants, really wants it, one can add
  more meetings to it, more things to be
  made".
     
    The old Prof. answered. "It is not
  that". 
                   
    "The big truth that this experiment
  shows to us is the following one:
                                
     
    - "If one does not put the big stones
  first in the jar, one will never be able
  to fit them all in, then". 
     
    There was a profound silence, each
  becoming aware of the obviousness of
  these comments.
     
    Then, the old Prof. Told them: "Which
  are the big stones in your life?"
 
     "Your health?"
 
     "Your family?"
 
     "Your friends?"
 
     "To make your dreams come true?"
 
     "Learning?"
 
     "To do what you enjoy?"
 
     "To relax?"
 
     "To fight for a cause?"
 
     "To take time for yourself?"
 
     "Or any other thing?"    
 
    "What it is necessary to remember is
  the importance to put one's BIG STONES
  in first in one's life, otherwise one
  encounters the risks in not succeeding
  in life.
     
    If one gives priority to pecadilloes
  (the little pebbles, the sand), one will
  fill one's life with pecadilloes and
  will have no longer have enough precious
  time to dedicate to the important
  elements of one's life".
     
    Then do not forget to ask to yourself
  this question:
     
    "Which are the BIG STONES IN MY LIFE?"
     
    Then, put them in, first 
     
    With a friendly gesture of the hand,
  the old professor greeted his audience
  and slowly left the room.
     
    What are the BIG STONES in your life,
  Friends?
     
  ............................................................

    Positively yours,
   
  Jos.