Time Out

This is a crazy and fast paced world we live in. To often we forget that we need time for us, time to just stop and regroup. Below is an email I received awhile back. I have kept it and occasionally go back and read it. I do not know who the author is so I can not give credit, where credit is do. As it is thought provoking I wanted to pass it along.

Mayonnaise Jar and 2 Cups of Coffee

When things in you life seem almost to much to handle, when 24 hours in the day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some
in front of him. When Class began, he wordlessly picked up
a very large mayonnaise jar proceeded to fill it with golf balls.
He then 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 it into the
jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once
more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous yes.

The professor the produced two cups of coffee from under the
table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling
the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you
to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are
the important things---your family, your children, your health,
your friends and your passions----and if everything else was lost
and only they remained, your life would be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, you
house,and your car.

The sand is almost everything else----the small stuff. "if you put
the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for
the pebbles or gold balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all
your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room
for the things that are important.

"Pay attention to the things that are critical to you happiness.
Spend time with your parents, Visit with grandparents. Take
time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner.
Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house
and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first---the
things that really matter. Se your priorities . The rest is
just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee
represented. The professor smiled and said, "I'm glad you asked."
The coffee just 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."

I hope this post gave you time to pause and think. we need to do more of that, so if you got the time grab a cup and stop on by. If not you should really try to make that time.

Challenges

We all face challenges on a daily basis. How we view those challenges determines the difficulty we have in overcoming them. Some times we can take the simplest challenge and make it the most difficult. A short time ago I was sitting at the table with my morning coffee contemplating my days challenges. As it was going to be a very busy day I was already starting to feel overwhelmed.I turned to the sports page in the paper, my favorite place to start when I saw this picture: I was amazed and immediately thought WOW, now this kid must have some really tough challenges.

AS I read through the article I found that , Dustin Carter, is a high school senior and captain of the wrestling team. This particular picture was after a practice session where he is training for the upcoming state championship in his weight
class. Hi record as of the time of this picture was 34 and 1. I searched and found several videos on You Tube showing Dustin working out and one interview that made me extremely jealous. This young man can type 50 words a minute. I can not come close to that and I have ten good fingers.

The realizations is that challenges are a mind set. Determination goes a long way in how we tackle those bumps in the road. Sometimes we must seek help,but where do we find this help. That is an individuals choice. We can seek family, friends, teammates, spiritual, or even strangers. Depending on the challenge, sometimes talking with a person outside of your circle can be great, I have found in a social network today, the opportunity to talk with new people opens all kinds of new avenues of thought. Sometimes just chatting with someone new brings different ideas to the mind. I have met people that faced similar problems but found solutions I never thought of.

As I face the road ahead, I have found the bumps can be big or small, but they can be overcome. Now when things look overwhelming the first thing I do I glance at Dustin's picture which I have tacked to my wall, then I look for help to get my mind set right. Now it comes down to: Is the glass half full or half empty