人生的大石頭
One day, an expert in time management was speaking to a group of students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration those students will never forget.
一天，時間管理專家為一群學生講課。他現場做了演示，給學生們留下了一生都難以磨滅的印象。
As he stood in front of the group of overachievers he said, "OK, time for a quiz." He pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouth jar and set it on the table in front of him. He also 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?"
站在那些高智商高學歷的學生前面，他說：「我們來做個小測驗」，拿出一個一加侖的廣口瓶放在他面前的桌上。隨後，他取出一堆拳頭大小的石塊，仔細地一塊放進玻璃瓶。直到石塊高出瓶口，再也放不下了，他問道：「瓶子滿了？」
Everyone in the class yelled, "Yes." The time management expert replied, "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. He then asked the group once more, "Is this jar full?"
所有學生應道：「滿了！」。時間管理專家反問：「真的？」他伸手從桌下拿出一桶礫石，倒了一些進去，並敲擊玻璃瓶壁使礫石填滿下面石塊的間隙。「現在瓶子滿了嗎？」他第二次問道。
By this time the class was on to him. He said,"Probably not." "Good!" he replied. He reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in the jar and it went into all of the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question, "Is this jar full?"
但這一次學生有些明白了，「可能還沒有」，學生應道。「很好！」專家說。他伸手從桌下拿出一桶沙子，開始慢慢倒進玻璃瓶。沙子填滿了石塊和礫石的所有間隙。他又一次問學生：「瓶子滿了嗎？」
No! the class shouted. Once again he said, "Good." And he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it into until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked around the room and asked, "What is the point of this illustration?"
「沒滿！」學生們大聲說。他再一次說：「很好！」然後他拿過一壺水倒進玻璃瓶直到水面與瓶口平。然後他抬頭看了一圈房間，問道：「這個例子說明什麼？」
One eager student 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 in it!"
一個心急的學生舉手發言：「無論你的時間多少，如果你確實努力，你可以做更多的事情！」
No, the speaker replied, "That's not the point. The truth this illustration teaches us is 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? TTime with our loved ones, your faith, your health, your education, your dreams, a worthy cause, teaching or mentoring others? Remember to put these big rocks in first or you'll never get them in at all." So, tonight, or in the morning, when you are reflecting on this short story, ask yourself this question: What are the 'big rocks' in my life?
「不！」時間管理專家說，「那不是它真正的意思，這個例子告訴我們：如果你不是先放大石塊，那你就再也不能把它放進瓶子了。那麼，什麼是你生命中的大石頭呢？陪伴我們所愛之人，你的信仰，你的健康，你的教育，你的夢想，一個有價值的事業，教導或指導他人？切記得先去處理這些大石塊，否則，否則你就再也不能把他們放進去了。」我們可曾問過自己這個問題：人一生的「大石頭」是什麼？找出自己人生的「大石頭」。