My girlfriend and I have been talking about our “big rocks”.
These are the priorities, the things important to us, that we put in our jar
first, and then add the pebbles, and onto the sand and pack it all in to our
lives. What are your big rocks?
Big
rocks can’t be things. For me, big rocks are about the people in your life that
you make a priority, and make time to be with because they are important to
you.
Tonight
was my girlfriend, Peggy’s birthday. A group of us got together, went out to
celebrate her life, her birthday, our friendship. It was special indeed. Making
this time was a satisfying big rock added to my life jar.
Not all
my rocks are fun and games. I have a job. It takes a lot of my time and energy,
so, it’s a big rock. That gets added.
From
there, it’s about family, friends and making time for all of it. Into the jar
it goes.
We all have
choices to make about what we add to our jar, how we spend our time and energy,
and how tightly we pack it. We all get the same hours in a day, but how we
spend them is individual. To be honest, these days, my jar would look more like
a well thought out terrarium. There are plants, and sand, and it’s pretty
simple. Well-spaced and organized, with a zen-like quality. This was not always
the case.
As a
Caregiver, my life was packed full, with so much, no real focus. I filled it up
and just when I thought I could add no more because it was overflowing, I
packed it some more with grains of sand. I was like that commercial for the
army where they get more done before 4am than most people do all day – can you
relate? My jar was a mess and it wasn’t pretty.
There is
no one-size-fits-all plan for defining your priorities and making time for them
to the point where they go into the jar first, above all else. It takes thought
and planning and effort. Take some time to reflect on the big rocks in your
life and figure out how to cut back on all the rest to make time for what you
value. You’ll be glad you did.
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