"Let me explain the purpose of this whole demonstration," the speaker spoke with the air of a magician about to pull the rabbit of the hat. This was his moment.

"It all boils down to your priorities in life.
Take Jar No 3. If you filled your life with the merely trivial, inconsequential tasks, just like the sand, you will be left with no time or space to bring in your goals or projects represented by the pebbles.

Take Jar No 2. If you focused on the mid sized goals or projects, then you would still have some time to complete the trivial tasks.

Saying this, the speaker poured as much sand as Jar No 2 could take with its pebble contents.

"Ah, yes, Jar No 3." The speaker was almost gloating now. "In Jar No 3, you have FIRST placed the Big rocks of your life - the significant missions, crusades, accomplishments, adventures, passions that give meaning to your existence. Having done this first, you now still have time to throw in the mid sized goals as well as the trivial tasks." Saying which, the speaker dropped as many pebbles as the gaps in Jar No 3 could take. He then poured as much sand as the crevices in Jar No 3 allowed.

The Speaker went on: " Which of the 3 jars do your life's priorities reflect?  

The audience fell silent. They now knew the objective of the entire demonstration. It was a moment for reflection.

Interests

What experiences in life move you? What kind of images inspire you? What manner of people kindle your deepest motivations?

In other words, what interests you? Interests are often beacons of our motivations and what we like. For example, what kind of television programs do you like watching? Do you love the racy water adventures like white river rafting, the adrenalin pumping hang glides, or the heart stopping bungee jumps. Or would you rather prefer watching a comedy sitcom? Consider that the television set in modern day times is as much a fixture in our living rooms as say a washing machine. In fact, you can do without a washing machine but being without a television set is almost inconceivable. Having said that, our television program preferences are a good reflection of what we are interested in.

So, let me ask you this. What kind of television programs do you enjoy watching and have you ever considered that it may well reflect what you are interested in broadly in life.

What subjects did you study in school and college? What field or discipline have you chosen to pursue? All these again are representative of what piques your interest. Your hobbies are also another indication of your likes.

What hobbies do you indulge in? Do you prefer reading in an atmosphere of silence and solitude or do you love turning the volume on and letting the stereo speakers blare out your favorite music or band?
All of us humans are good at something or the other. Most times it is just that you never spend time finding out what you are good at. Let me ask you this.

Can you name your top three skills? Go on, I will wait while you think about it.

Having written down (I hope you did, it is an extremely powerful affirmation) your top 3 skills, let us get down to the next step. What have you done with those skills? If you are involved in a field or pursuing a career in one of those top 3 skills, congratulations! You are doing what only less than 5% of the world population is able to do - pursue a course in life that you are good at. As said earlier, the biggest handicap is not lack of skills in you, it is systematically identifying and then putting them to use. If miraculously, you are pursuing something that you not only are good at but also interested in or love doing, you deserve a medal for being the rarest of human beings.

It is said that the world is your oyster. If you love doing something and are also skilled at it and are pursuing it, doors of opportunity will open in time. So, opportunity is another major requirement for succeeding at any endeavor.

How are opportunities created? Most times they are created when you are passionate about what you do and give it the best you have got. That sounds very controversial. You will probably quote as many instances of people failing with enough opportunities as those who made successes out of them. But the point is this. No pain, no gain. Nothing dared, nothing achieved. Garbage In Garbage Out. As you sow, so shall you reap.

At the end of the day your committed action is what will convert opportunity to success and achievement.
  

You looked at interests, you looked at skills and you talked about opportunities. What if all three were available? What lies at the confluence of these three characteristics?

According to Scott Belsky, Founder of Behance, at the confluence of interests, skills and opportunities lies a mother lode of idea generation and work with a purpose. Ideas and work that will transform the world for the better. In his book, Making ideas happen, Scott argues, convincingly that this confluence is a magnet for life changing ideas and world class discoveries and inventions.
What do you think?

 

 

Let me leave you with this thought.
Tabulate your interests, skills and opportunities. Do you find meaningful and life changing work at that confluence?
Just the exercise may well be life changing itself.