"Everything else is just sand..."

I came across an online video (courtesy of one of my LinkedIn connections) that I thought was great, so I wanted to share it here.  In the video, a teacher is using a glass jar filled with golf balls (among other things) to make an important point to his students.  Here's the link to the video: A Valuable Lesson For a Happier Life.  I think the original story comes from Stephen Covey, but I am not 100% sure.

The teacher starts with an empty glass jar, to which he adds several golf balls.  He then turns to the students and asks, "Is this jar full?"  Some students nod, others answer "Yes".  Not every one agrees though.

Next, the teacher adds a smaller jar full of pebbles.  He asks again, "Is the jar full now?"  More students nod and say "Yes" this time.

The teacher then reaches into his bag and pulls out a small jar filled with sand.  He then pours the sand into the jar with the golf balls and pebbles.  He asks one last time, "Is the jar full?"  Everyone answers in the affirmative this time.

At least in the version of the video I watched, he next pulls out two bottles of beer, opens one, and pours the contents into the jar, which by this time, is obviously full.

The teacher then turns to the students and offers a simple, yet powerful explanation.  The golf balls represent the most important things in our life, such as family, friends, health, and our hobbies.  The pebbles represent other important things (but not quite as important as the golf ball things) in our life, such as our job, our home, or our car.  The sand represents everything else.  The small stuff that is just not that important (sorry, sand).

The metaphor is that if you spend all of your time and energy focusing on the small things, you won't have time in your life for the most important things.  If the teacher had started by filling the large empty jar with sand, he wouldn't have had any room left over for the golf balls or the pebbles.  So it is true for life.

At the very end, one of the students raises his hand and asks the teacher, "What does the beer represent?"  The teacher replies, "I'm glad you asked.  It goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem to be, there is always room for a couple of beers with a friend."