Hey everybody. I can’t claim this as my own but it may just help you get your life in perspective. Yes, it’s important to think about making money and your future but put it in it’s proper place. Have a read and let me know what you think

cheers

Tim

Mayonnaise Jar & Two Beers…

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours
in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 Beers.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in
front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large
and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full.  They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the
jar. He shook the jar lightly.  The pebbles rolled into the open areas
between the golf balls.   He then asked the students again if the jar
was full.  They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.
Of course, the sand filled up everything else.   He asked once more if
the jar was full.  The students responded with a unanimous ‘yes.’

The professor then produced two Beers from under the table and poured
the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space
between the sand.  The students laughed…

‘Now,’ said the professor as the laughter subsided, ‘I want you to recognize
that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important
things—your family, your children, your health, your friends and your
favourite passions—and if everything else was lost and only they
remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house
and your car.  The sand is everything else—the small stuff.  ‘If you
put the sand into the jar first,’ he continued, ‘there is no room for
the pebbles or the golf balls.

The same goes for life.  If you spend all your time and energy on the
small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important
to you.  Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.

Spend time with your children.

Spend time with your parents.

Visit with grandparents.

Take time to get medical checkups.

Take your spouse out to dinner.

Play another 18.

There will always be time to clean the house and cut the grass.

Take care of the golf balls first—the things that really matter.

Set your priorities.

The rest is just sand.

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the Beer represented.

The professor smiled and said, ‘I’m glad you asked.’  The Beer just shows
you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for
a couple of Beers with a friend.

I’m sure a lot of you out there are jumping for joy because it’s Friday.  No more work for a couple of days.  Then maybe sunday night you get that sinking feeling. Work tomorrow. Some of you may even go as far as dreading going to work on a Monday. You may also feel you are trapped. You need the money to pay your rent and to buy food but you desperately want to do something different but aren’t sure what. You know there has to be a better life out there.

My view is that sometimes you have to accept that it is going to get worse before it gets better. Why? Because you will have to give up your free time to do MORE work to ultimately gain the freedom you so crave. I say this because that’s what I did. The main thing for me was I got up early. I would get up at 5.30am and work for an hour and a half, sometimes 2 hours before I went to work. I would then go to work, get home around 7pm, help bath the kids and put them to bed. Have something to eat and then at least a couple of days a week I would go back upstairs into our little bedroom and do some more work. I was tired all the time. If i had a beer or a glass of wine which I enjoy I would feel even worse the next day. I was grumpy a lot of the time! Did this last forever. No. Did I quit. No. Would I do this again. If I had to, yes.

Sometimes, freedom can only be found by actually giving up what little freedom you have. If anyone tells you its going to be easy, they are not telling you the truth. It will be tough but it will be worth it. Because in the long run you will be doing something you love or at least like to do rather than doing something that you are forced to do.

One little tip. I know this is going to be hard but try to forget about money for a moment. If you could do anything in the world, what would it be. What you love. Not I’d love to be an internet marketeer when deep down you know you are only saying this because you think that it will make you rich. If you don’t love what you are doing it is really difficult to make money at it because you won’t really be fully committed. Do what you really enjoy doing and the money will follow.

Forget about get rich quick schemes, any form of gambling or make money being on somebody else’s downline. Find something you are passionate about, that you would love to talk to someone at a party about even if they found it boring! And then take the first step.

Wishing you all the best for the future

Tim