Where does fitness and health stand in your life? It is extrmely easy to see fitness and health as a roundtoit, you know, something you’ll do if and when you get around to it. I am not sure where this mentality comes from…You would think living longer, healthier and happier lives, as a fit and healthy individual, would be at the top of most people’s list…but it’s not.
So how do we make fitness & health a priority, a passion…a golf ball?
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 favorite 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 your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and mow the lawn.
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.
Let’s make fitness & health a golf ball!
Wake up early
“No one who can rise before dawn 360 days a year fails to make his family rich.” – Chinese Proverb. That is one of my favorite quotes/proverbs out there. It applies to success just as much as it applies to fitness. If you want to be fit and healthy, you are going to need to wake up early! Wheter you have to wake up early to prep your meals for the day or to get a great workout in before work – it is best to get it done early. Putting these things at the end of the day, not only shows where it is in your priority list, that also means that it will be the least likely to get done.
Let others know
A big issue that can occur is when your friends/spouse/significant other, or whoever, doesn’t know that you now plan to make fitness & health a priority. Friends may make fun of you out of their own inadequacies and insecurities…ignore them. Spouses and significant others may not like how much time is being taken away from them. Try to get them involved or set a compromise. Once you make fitness and health a priority in your life it is not a question of will this happen? – it will be – how will it happen today?
Have no fear!
Jump right in! In this life, there is no time for hesitation. If you have decided you want to do somethingdo it! Don’t let others discourage you, don’t be overwhelmed and don’t half-ass it! You deserve this, and so does your family. The easiest way to rid yourself of fear is education :). Maybe check out some of this stuff here.
Cut something out?
If fitness and health is to truly become one of your golf balls (passion and priority), and there aren’t that many golf balls in your lifedoes this mean something has to go? Maybe. You may find some things you spend a huge amount of your time on, aren’t really golf balls. You need to get rid of these things. Refocus and reprioritize.
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I really hope you will make fitness & health a golf ball. Start today! If you are waiting on new years…you are waiting to fail. No great things have ever come from a guy or gal who said, “That’s a great idea, I’ll do it in two months”.
P.S. Are any of you disappointed that this post wasn’t about how to get super fit and healthy through golf…sorry!
-Jerred