The big stones in our life…
One day, an old professor of the National School of Administration (ENA-France) was asked to give a talk
on the effective economic planning of time to a group of about fifteen managers of big companies from North - America.
The old professor only had one hour to spend on this subject.
Standing in front of this group of elite students who were hanging on his every word, the professor slowly looked
at them one by one and said:
"We are going to do an experiment".
From under the table which separated him from his pupils, the old man took out an immense glass
jar which he put directly in front of him. Then, he took out about a dozen pebbles roughly
the size of tennis balls and placed them delicately, one by one, in the big jar.
When the jar was filled up to the brim, and it was impossible to add anything more,
he slowly raised his eyes up to 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.
He poured these little pebbles on the big stones, then shifted the jar slightly.
The fragments of little pebbles fell between the stones down to the bottom of the jar.
The old man 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 man…..
He bent again and this time, took out from under the table a bucket of sand. Carefully, he poured the sand into the jar.
The sand filled the spaces between the big stones and the little pebbles.
Once again, he asked:
"Is this jar full?"
This time, without hesitation, the brilliant pupils chorused:
"No!"
"Well!" answered the old man.
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, for the last time the old man raised his eyes towards the 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 the course, answered:
"It shows that even when one believes that one’s day is completely filled, one can add more meetings, more things to do.
The old professor smiled and answered. "No, it’s not that."
"The big truth that this experiment shows us is the following one:
If you do not put the big stones first in the jar, it is impossible to fit in all the rest."
A profound silence settled on the class as each student began to see the obvious.
Then, the old man asked them,"What 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 anything else?"
What it is necessary to remember is the importance of putting one's BIG STONES first in life.
If you give priority to pecadilloes, your life will become full of pecadilloes,
and you will not have enough precious time to dedicate to the most important things."
Do not forget to ask yourself this question,
"What are the BIG STONES IN MY LIFE?
Then, put them in... first"
With a friendly gesture of his hand, the old professor slowly left the room.
We go for this world tour in order to live a wonderful experience with our children, the BIGGEST stones in our life.
Matthieu et Charlotte