Happy New Year, and welcome to 2010.

With a new year comes a clean slate, a blank piece of paper to create the year, and ultimately the life, we desire.  It seems fitting at this time to share a blog post that’s a bit out of context (i.e. not really Outer Banks related, but maybe in a small way it is…perhaps the main theme of the post is also one of the major reasons visitors come to the OBX, but I digress.).

At the beginning of 2009 we shared a viral email that gave 40 Tips for a Better Life, and to begin 2010, we’ll once again share a viral email that reminds us all to organize the priorities in our life according true importance.

Without further ado, enjoy “The Mayonnaise Jar.”

The Mayonnaise  Jar
When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day is not enough; remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.

When the class began,wordlessly,he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and start to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured it 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 an unanimous ‘Yes.’

The professor then 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 – God, family, children, health, friends, and favorite passions things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the things that matter like your job, house, and car. The sand is everything else — The small stuff. If you put the sand into the jar first,’ he continued, ‘there is no room for the pebbles or the golf  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 to you.

So…

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Play with your children.
Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out to dinner.

There will always be time to clean the house and fix the dripping tap.

Take care of the golf balls first – The things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.

The  professor smiled. “I’m glad you asked. It just goes to 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.”

Please share this with other “Golf Balls.”