16- The Mayonnaise Jar_inspirational short story

Mindful Hypnosis

A story of a Professor teaching his students a lesson in life

An inspiring story about what’s important

The Mayonnaise Jar, or Jar of Rocks. They’ve been called both. This is an inspirational story and if you have never heard of it, you’ll enjoy it. If you have, well I have another takeaway to add at the end.

I’ve always called it the Mayonnaise jar even though I do prefer salad dressing. LOL

This is a wonderful analogy of life with a good lesson to boot taught by a professor to his students.

Mayonnaise Jar Story

He proceeded to fill up the jar with rocks until he could fit no more. He looked at the classroom and asked his students if they agree that the jar is full.

The teacher then picked up a box of small pebbles and poured them into the jar with the rocks. The pebbles filled all of the openings in between the rocks.

Now the teacher picked up a bag of sand and poured it into the mason jar. He asked the class again if the jar was full.

Finally, the teacher pulled out two coffees from under his desk and poured both of them into the jar filling the empty space between the sand.

The teacher until the laughter stopped. "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life," he started. "

The rocks represent important things.

The pebbles represent the other things in life that matter, such as your job, house, and car.

The sand---that is everything else.

The same goes for life.

Pay attention to the important things in your life.

Before the students left, one shouted out. "You never mentioned what the coffee represents!"

The professor smiled and said, "Well I'm glad you asked. The coffee just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room to have a coffee with a friend."

I love this story. I thought you might too. Sometimes the story ends with a beer, but if you know me, I love my coffee. Speaking of coffee, check out the episode about mindfully drinking it.

Where does mindfulness fall in this story?

Mindfulness IS the jar.

It contains everything inside it. And just like glass, it can reflect your life back to you. It’s also the sum of all the parts.

Oh, and don’t forget to toss in a bit of glitter.

It takes up no extra space, it permeates everything and makes everything colorful and it will make your life sparkle even more.

Take a deep breath in and exhale

So, before I go, listen closely and remember this ONE one thing.

Your future is a thought, your past has passed, but your now is always here.

Be mindful-one minute at a time.

Hugs, Cheryl

Sponsors & Links Mentioned:

• Busy Mind Meditation
• CherylJReynolds.com - Hypnosis and Coaching

Episodes linked:

• Enjoy a cup of coffee, mindfully