Priorities

Priorities
A Zen Master, desirous of teaching his class about
prioritizing, asked a group of college students to fill a
large glass container with the materials that were on the
ground surrounding them. Collectively, they filled the
container to the brim with carefully selected large rocks.
He asked, "Is this container full?" They eagerly responded
"YES!" feeling quite pleased with themselves for having
quickly and effectively completed their assignment.

The Zen Master then took several handfuls of smaller stones
and dropped them into the container. Gravity pulled these
stones into nooks and crannies throughout the container.
The students watched in silence, a little embarrassed that
they didn't see what was right in front of their eyes.

Zen Master asked: "Is the container now full?" Slowly, one
by one, the students sighed "Yes." The Zen Master then
found a small pile of sand nearby which he slowly released
into the container. The sand gracefully filled in the
remaining gaps between the large rocks and small stones.
"Is the container now filled?" he asked the curious
students. How could the answer be anything but yes? And
this time they were right.

What was the purpose of the Zen Master's experiment?
Filling this container is not unlike filling the 24 hours
in your day. Do you start with the large rocks or the sand?

The large rocks represent major activities that are vital.
Once those are in place, it is easy to see where we can
fill in our time with lesser yet still important tasks.
And finally, we can fill in the five-ten minute segments
between each of the above categories with the sand, the
tasks that may be infinitesimal, yet still require our
undivided attention.

What if the Zen Master would have asked the students to
begin by filling the container with sand? These tiny
objects would have occupied all of the space available,
leaving no room for larger rocks (areas of focus.)

How many of you look at your time management in this same
way? Before you tackle the really important items on your
list, you want to eliminate those little irritants that
have to be done. Pretty soon your day is over and you feel
exhausted but not accomplished.

Part of the Zen masters lesson pertains to your spirit. Do
you focus your spirit on things that are truly important to
you or allow yourself to be pulled down by the sand? If
you begin by focusing on what's vital to you, you'll have
room for the rest. The opposite is equally true.

Which meaning of this story applies most to
you—filling your 24 hour day or your soul? Either
way, please take time this week filling yourself with
prioritized large rocks and allowing the sand to lay as it
will. Enjoy your discoveries and

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