Big Rocks (incla)

Big Rocks (incla)由刀豆文库小编整理，希望给你工作、学习、生活带来方便”。

Big Rocks1

One day, an expert in time management was speaking to a group of busine students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration those students will never forget.As he stood in front of the group of high-powered overachievers he said, “Okay, time for a quiz” and he pulled out a one-gallon mason jar2 and set it on the table in front of him.He also produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully()them, one at a time, into the jar.When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, “Is the jar full?”

Everyone in the cla _____, “Yes.”

The time management expert replied, “Really?” He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel3.He()some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks.He then asked the group once more, “Is the jar full?” By this time the cla was onto him4.“Probably not,” one of them ______.“Good!” he replied.He reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand.He started()the sand in the jar and it went into all of the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel.Once more he asked the question, “Is this jar full?”

“No!” the cla _______.Once again he said, “Good.” Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to()it in until the jar was filled to the brim5.Then he looked at the cla and asked, “What is the point of this illustration?”

One eager beaver6 raised his hand and said, “The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard you can always fit some more things in it!”

“No,” the speaker replied, “that’s not the point.The truth this illustration teaches us is: If you don’t put the big rocks in first, you’ll never get them in at all.What are the “big rocks’ in your life—time with your loved ones, your faith, your education, your dreams, a worthy cause, teaching or mentoring others? Remember to put these BIG ROCKS in first or you’ll never get them in at all.”

So, tonight, or in the morning, when you are reflecting on this short story, ask yourself this question: what are the “big rocks” in my life? Then, put those in your jar first.from Rosa and Eschholz(2003).mason jar: a gla container with a tight lid used for preserving fruit and vegetables 3 gravel: small pieces of rockbe onto(someone): used to say that you know about what someone is doing or has donebrim: the top edge of a gla or a similar containerbeaver: an exceptionally active or hardworking person