What Matters Most

Q: I have so many things I have to get done in the day, how can I squeeze in one more hour for yoga?

A: Use your yoga practice to cultivate clarity in order to determine what matters most.

A well-known time management story from www.loyaltyleader.com

As this man stood in front of the group of high-powered overachievers, he said, "Okay, time for a quiz." Then he pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouthed Mason jar and set it on a table in front of him. 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." Then he said, "Really?" He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. He dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks. Then he 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. 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. 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. Then he looked up at the class and asked, "What is the point of this illustration?" One woman raised her 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: If you don't put the big rocks in first, you'll never get them in at all."

What are the "big rocks" in your life? Time with your loved ones? Your faith, your education, your dreams? A worthy cause? Teaching or mentoring others? What are the big rocks" in your life? Remember to give these rocks priority or they'll be squeezed out by far less important activities that can keep you from spending time on the things that matter most in your life.

day thirteen -
of 108 days -
i feel i'm doing well -
coming out of a haze -

though things aren't always perfect -
i will keep on going -
sometimes practice is ugly -
till beauty starts showing -

so there is my update -
practicing love and no harm -
now i want to do yoga -
so i can stay warm!

j.m.