UNIT 1 LESSON 3

There is an old story about a philosophy professor giving a lecture where he pulled out an empty mayonnaise jar. He sat it on the table next to some fist- sized rocks. He filled the jar with the rocks and asked the class "Is this jar full?" Everyone looked at the jar and agreed that it was indeed full.

He then reached under the table, grabbed a bucket of gravel and dumped the gravel into the jar. The gravel went in between all the little places left by the big rocks. He again asked, "Is the jar full?" The class agreed that now it must be full. He then reached under the table, pulled out a bucket of sand and dumped it into the jar. It went into all the spaces left by the big rocks and the gravel. Again, he asked the class "Is this jar full?" "Yes" the class said but they knew he must be going somewhere with this.

Lastly he grabbed a can of soda and poured it into the jar Lastly he grabbed a can of soda and poured it into the jar. Then he said, "What's the point?" Someone said, "If you really work at it, you can always squeeze more stuff into your life." "No," the instructor responded. "That's not the point. The point is this: if you hadn't put these big rocks in first, would you ever have gotten any of them in?” The big rocks in the story are a metaphor for the most important things that you must plan for in your life.

Theory of the JAR Learning how to create your jar of life is essential. Think of our lives as an empty jar. You have rocks and dirt and you have to find the right combination of the two to fill the jar in a way in which you will be most balanced. Too much dirt and it will fall out, too many rocks and you wont be able to fill in any water or dirt.

SELF CONSTRUCTION Actively defining your own road in life – with high school on the horizon, you will find that you have to start making more decisions that will shape your life’s course. These decisions may include which extracurricular activities to be involved with, what friends you want to get to know better or what experiences you want to have.

Every choice is an action of self-construction – the process of creating your ideal version of you – which helps identify you and the life you want to lead. Basically, people like fitting in with one another because it feels safe. It gives us a feeling of acceptance. Like sheep in a herd, we often become comfortable in following everyone else rather than setting out on our own.

By following this passive mindset, we compromise our sense of self and individuality for what the “herd” decides is right for us. If we break away from these people and align ourselves with people who reflect who we really are – we are taking a step towards building a network of support that matches our vision for the life we want to lead.

The act of getting out of our comfort zone to explore other people and places is a skill that takes a lot of practice.

Self Construction Rather than “mass production” this is the deliberate decision to set out on your own, you are choosing to self-construct yourself rather than following what “society” has placed for you. Basically this is the idea of creating your own life rather than just doing the same thing as everyone else.

If you can successfully lead an actively defining life, live a life with a solid foundation, and include your interests and passions then you have self – constructed your own future.

Leading an actively defining life. You should embrace your uniqueness and begin building the foundations of your life. You don’t have to be like everyone else. You should embrace the fact that you are all different.

Live life with a solid foundation. You should make choices based on what you value. When you have learned to articulate what is meaningful to you as an individual and make choices based on that, you will have a good understanding for what to build your life around.

Include your interests and passions. Once you have identified your values and begun the process of building a solid foundation for yourself and for your future, you will be able to incorporate your interests and passions into your daily life.

Exercise 6 In a word document, and in proper format write about an event in your life where you have decided to go with or against the “herd.” What was the outcome? Would you do it differently now? Why so?