Saturday, January 12, 2013

Setting priorities in life



Spend time with those you love. One of these days you will say either, "I wish I had," or "I'm glad I did." Zig Ziglar

There are things which are important to us in our lives and at same time there are things which may be clearly worthless. Setting priorities in life is all about separating things which are important from things that do not hold much significance. Ability to set priorities is something that can be easily mastered provided you know where you want to head forward in life. But to start with, do we even know what is important to us and whether the time we invest is getting its real worth. This and many other questions need to be pondered upon as we dig deeper into this subject
I  remember reading  some  where  story  of a professor  who stood before  his class With some  items in front of  him. When the class began, he picked up a large empty Jar  and proceeded to fill it with rocks about two inches in diameter. He then asked the students if the jar was full. yes  They  all  agreed that it was full.
So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly and watched as the pebbles rolled into the open areas between the rocks. The professor then asked the students again if the jar was full. Again  everyone shouted that indeed  it  was  full

The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. The sand filled the remaining open areas of the jar. “Now,” said the professor, “I want you to recognize that this jar signifies your life. The rocks are the truly important things, such as family, health and relationships. If all else was lost and only the rocks remained, your life would still be meaningful. The pebbles are the other things that matter in your life, such as work or school. The sand signifies the remaining “small stuff” like material possessions. If you put sand into the jar first, there is no room for the rocks or the pebbles. The same can be applied to your lives. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are truly important. and  by  the  time  you realise it  will  be  too  late!!
I  am  not advocating that  we  need  to ignore  small stuff   yes , we need material things also but  it depends  on  which  goes first inside  the  jar . Pay attention to the things in life that are critical to your happiness and well-being. Take time to get medical check-ups, play with your children, go for a run, meet  your  friend . There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, or fix the disposal. Take care of the rocks first – things that really matter other  things  will  follow . Set your priorities. The rest is just pebbles and sand.
We pass though different stages in our lives. Each stage with it brings new challenges that have the potential to make or break us. What we pick ultimately becomes part of our destiny. When it boils down to choices, priorities help us to clear the confusion and put things in right perspective. When we know what is important for us in our lives, our efforts and energy gets streamlined in a definite direction to help us achieve the impossible. Setting priorities in life is more of a skill which helps us remain focused and value things that matter the most.


Make the decision today to take back control of your life. Set right priorities, pre-plan your life and starting living on purpose





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1 comment:

  1. Yep, golden words!! Had seen the anecdote before but that was a delightful reminder. Buddy, thanks and I have reappraised my priorities in life for this phase!!!!!!

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