“Where did the day go?” is the most asked question I hear on a regular basis.  Desperately trying to juggle all the things we have to do every day has become status quo for most people all over the world.   

JFK’s quote, “There is never enough time, unless you’re serving it” certainly puts the concept of time into perspective.  We all have the same 24 hours a day and 7 days a week – so how is it that some people can accomplish so much, while others feel as though they barely accomplish anything at all within the same time period?  The answer to that question can be summed up in the following story:

 A Jar of Rocks

A time management expert speaking to a a group of business students shared a powerful illustration.  As this man stood in front of the group of high-powered overachievers he said, “Okay, time for a quiz.”

He pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouthed mason jar and set it on a table in front of him. Then he produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed 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 this jar full?”

Everyone in the class said, “Yes.”

He replied, “Really?” and reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. He then dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks.

He smiled and asked the group once more, “Is the jar full?” By this time the class was onto him. “Probably not,” one of them answered.

“Good!” he replied. And he reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in and it went into all the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question, “Is this jar full?”

“No!” the class shouted. Once again he said, “Good!”  Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. He looked up at the class and asked, “What is the point of this illustration?”

One eager beaver 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 into it!”

“No,” the speaker replied, “that’s not the point. The truth this illustration teaches us is this:  If you don’t put the big rocks in first, you’ll never get them in at all.” 

So…what are the “big rocks” in your life?  A project that you want to accomplish? Time with your loved ones? Your faith, your education, your finances?  A cause? Teaching or mentoring others?  It’s important to put the BIG ROCKS in your calendar first in order to maintain a well-balanced life…..otherwise your schedule is going to be managing you, instead of you managing it.  

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 So, now that you’ve read the Jar of Rocks story, how are you going to use this information to make 2010 a fantastic year for your life and your business/career?

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Kris Cavanaugh, owner of Shift (TM), is a Speaker, Author, and Coach who specializes in helping others cultivate a C.E.O. mindset in every area of their life so their businesses, careers, and personal lives thrive. She is an expert strategist with an amazing ability to pull her clients through difficult challenges to obtain the life they truly want personally and professionally. If you have a desire to live your life “on purpose” so you wake up every day excited about the possibilities and maintain an unwavering belief that you will overcome any obstacles to achieve your personal and professional goals more easily and consistently, then click on the following link (https://begintoshift.com.aepiph.dev) to receive her C.E.O. Shift Ezine.  You can also schedule a complimentary meeting to learn more about how a coaching program can help you stay on track to achieve your 2010 goals.