When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar... and the coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class, and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a large, empty mayonnaise jar and filled it with golf balls. He asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured this into the jar. The sand filled up everything else.

He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a “yes”.

The professor then produced two cups of coffee and poured it into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand.

“I want you to recognise this jar represents your life.  The golf balls are the important things — your family, your children, your health, your friends and your passions — things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.”

“The pebbles are the other things that matter, like your job, your house, and your car. The sand is everything else — the small things.

“If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued, “there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small things, you will never have room for the things that are important. Take care of the golf balls first, things that really matter. The rest is just sand.”

One of the students enquired what the coffee represented.

The professor smiled. “It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.”