|
Perspective...
Constant Reader, as the year comes to an end, read this and think about it. Share it with others so that we can all put in the big rocks first for 1999.
A while back I was reading about an expert on subject of time management. One day this expert was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration I'm sure those students will never forget. After I share it with you, you'll never forget it either. 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. 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." Then he said, "Really?" He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. Then 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 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. Then 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: 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? A project that you want to accomplish? Time with your loved ones? Your faith, your education, your finances? A cause? Teaching or mentoring others? Remember to put these BIG ROCKS in first or you'll never get them in at all. Surfing...
World Charts Foundation |
| previous | index | next |
| December 30, 1998 |
| Big Rocks |
|
I asked the members of the Helen Mirren Appreciation Society if they would send me their favorite images of Helen Mirren. I am hoping that by looking at them, I could get inspired and work a design for the Helen Mirren site. Well, it turns out that it seems mostly everyone likes the "dirty" images of Ms. Mirren! They are especially fond of the "butt" image... 
Isn't Ms. Mirren a Goddess? I think she's so beautiful. In any case, I might not use that but it seems that most of people's favorites are her "film noir"-style images... so I might use her black and whites... so I'm thinking of a site that is black and white with splashes of red (reminiscent of her material in The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, Her Lover). I think I'll start with creating some logos for it. Start small. Maybe I'll hit something that will inspire the rest of the site. Let me say something small about work: It's done, baby! Okay..it's not "completely" done, but all the major parts are there and all that really needs to be done is to fix all the tiny little details that make the application not "perfect". I stayed at work kind of late, but it was definitely worth the extra effort... to have all of that work done and not have to think about it over vacation. I know that I will think about it a little bit, but that's far better to have the major parts done so I won't be ruminating over them too much over break. Break should be the time when I catch up with this journal and all the details that go into it... relax and do things I enjoy. I mean, I enjoy work but thinking about it out of work, but I don't get paid to do that. <grin> In the news today, a very disgusting practice. Two teenage girls (12 year olds) who are longing for attention sent themselves death threats. The authorities put up surveillance equipment and discovered it. Now they are arrested and charged with misdemeanors "falsely reporting an incident". I thought about myself growing up and how I would attract attention. I remember being 12 years old and being an unusually sexual creature. I flirted with men much older than me for their attention. I was a pubescent girl in the midst of a community dominated by men (50+ guys per femina) and I enjoyed that attention. I hated school life and had tons of temper tantrums at school, but it wasn't to bring attention to myself. Instead it was me trying to rebel against the system that was around me, in order to conform with the people that were around me. They were all 16+ years old and in their "angry at the world" stage, semi-suicidal. So I needed to fight back to conform and be accepted. I remember getting sent to doctors and them telling me that I needed therapy. My parents don't believe in that so I never went regularly... which is a good thing in a way. I learned to become independent and depend on my own judgment and reasoning. I matured by myself and I'm thankful for that. 
This is the top of my computer at work. From left to right: |
I am such a shmuck. Today I was remiss on my duties of ScribeTribe. I completely forgot to do the We(d)n(e)sday Question Du Jour, primarily because I had the upcoming vacation and finishing up the application in mind. <sigh> Thankfully, Kay noticed and posted a great question. So, I had her as a "guest questioner" and put it up on the We(d)n(e)sday's Question Du Jour site. Fourty lashes for Iko! Actually, I think it was kind of nifty that she put up a great question: I've been thinking about a question for the past week and nothing was really coming to me. Ray Whiting suggested that the next Question Du Jour I do will be about "what distracts you". Tee hee hee..
© Copyright 1998, Eileene Coscolluela
[woolgathering]