Over Consumption

My metabolism has slowed over the last few years, and accordingly I’ve changed my eating habits. I no longer eat a whole pizza at one sitting. I’m working on not over consuming. I’ve also been working lately on my caloric intake, trying to lose a few pounds that I feel are more than I need. It’s been very interesting using Lose It an iPhone app to do so. What I find interesting is the focus it gives on your eating when you have to write (or input) everything down. While I haven’t lost those pounds yet, I have gained a new appreciation for the task of journaling – or tracking.

Another area I suffer over consumption in is tasks. I can think of a few others in my life that also suffer from this. Let me give you an example – here is what I am “involved” in, and the frequency

• Chess club (twice monthly)
• Lector Director (twice monthly + periodic crisis management)
• Liturgy Committee (monthly + tasks from it)
• Parish Council (monthly + tasks from it)
• Lector (monthly)
• Eucharistic Minister (monthly)
• Sunday School Teacher (weekly)
• Youth Group Ministry ( twice monthly)
• Parish Web Administrator (weekly)
• K4K Books (http://www.k4kbooks.com/) (weekly)
• Organizational Development Blog (http://www.organizational-improvement.com/) (every other month)
• Why Organizations Struggle So Hard to Improve So Little – our book (weekly)
• Writing a book on Metrics (monthly)
• Rewriting a novel (periodically)
• Consortium for the Establishment of IT Performance Standards (http://www.ceitps.org/) (daily)
• Life Coaching (4-5 individuals, weekly)
  

That’s off the top of my head…I’m probably missing a few. The point is when I look at this list, it doesn’t include the “Golf Balls” in my life…the big things….my wife, my son, my daughters, my mom, brothers, or sister. It does include my church, but not my spirit.

I got this from my brother's blog:

The mayonnaise jar and the coffee: 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 coffee...

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he 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 cups of coffee 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 God, family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions - things that 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. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18 holes. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. 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 coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

I can’t find an author. It was sent as one of those “share it with a friend” emails.

My list of tasks above includes some of my passions – but not all of them. There are many things that I am not doing that I would like to. Those are reflected in my goal list. So, the point is…when we write these all down, we give it focus. We see where we spend out precious time. Are we spending it on the golf balls, pebbles, or the sand? Are we suffering from over consumption of sand and pebbles?