chapter 20

Everyone Has 864 RupeesOne day, a professor called all his MBA students to the classroom and said, "Today, I'm going to conduct an important experiment. Everyone, please pay close attention."There was a medium-sized glass jar on the table. Showing the jar to the students, he said, "I'm going to fill this jar with these large pebbles." He began filling the jar with the pebbles kept on the table. After the jar was full, he asked, "Is there any more space to fill?" Everyone replied, "The jar is already full, sir. It's impossible to fill any more."Then, the professor called a student and asked him to pour very small stones from another bag into the glass jar. As the student poured, the professor gently shook the jar. The small stones filled the spaces between the larger pebble, and the jar was completely full again.Now, he asked again, "Is the jar full now, or is there still space?" The students all said, "The jar is completely full, sir. There's no more space."The professor then called another student and asked, "Examine the jar closely and tell me if it's possible to fill anything more." The student looked closely and confidently said, "No, sir. There's no space in the jar, so it's impossible to fill anything more."The professor then gave him another bag and said, "pour the sand from this bag into the jar." As the student poured the sand, the professor kept shaking the jar. The sand particles filled the small gaps between the large rocks and small pebbles, and the entire jar was filled. Now, he asked the students, "Is the jar full now, or is there still space?" All the students shouted in unison, "There's no space left, sir. It's impossible to fill anything more."Then, he called a student sitting in the front row and asked, "Can you see if it's possible to fill anything more?".  She said, "It's impossible, sir." He handed her a one-liter bottle of drinking water from the table and asked her to pour it into the jar. When she did, all the water from the bottle was absorbed into the jar.After the experiment was over, the professor said to the students:"Sometimes, we waste our time on unnecessary small things and complicate our lives by not focusing on important matters. Therefore, we should prioritize the important tasks necessary to achieve our goals. In this experiment, the large rocks I filled the jar with represent the important tasks needed to achieve our life goals, such as our education, career, or job. "Even while doing such important tasks, we still have plenty of time left."We should spend that time with our families, go shopping with them, attend auspicious occasions, and visit tourist places. We should engage in many such activities that bring joy to the mind. The small pebbles in the jar are a good example of this."We should then spend the remaining time on our hobbies or interests, such as reading, writing, painting, or music. We should also share our joys and sorrows with our relatives and friends. The sand in the jar is a good example of this."Even then, we still have more time left. We can use this time for some less important activities, such as using social media platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram. These are equivalent to the water I poured in last."If the empty glass jar represents the time we have, then the large rocks, small rocks, sand, and water show us how to use our time effectively."In reality, we all get 86,400 seconds in a day. Think of it as 86400 paise or 864 rupees given to you by God, and spend it wisely. The special thing about it is that it must be spent on the same day; it cannot be saved for tomorrow like money. "Therefore, spending it wisely is our intelligence. If we save it without spending, we will lose it tomorrow. So, spend the 86,400 seconds wisely each day, strive to achieve your main goals, and succeed in life." When the professor finished his speech, all the students applauded loudly.CA V. K. S. Shetty