The Pattern Trader

THE LIFE OF A PROFESSIONAL TRADER. HIS MOTIVES, INSPIRATION AND VISION.

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Motivational & Inspirational

In response to my posting on “Perceptions and Expectations”, my friend, G.M. Teoh sent this lovely story to me …

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the The Mayonnaise Jar and 2 Cups of Coffee.

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 that 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 cups of coffee 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 – God, 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. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. 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 coffee represented. The professor smiled. “I’m glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.”

And another great reflection on everything being money and money not being everything, there is this wonderful video that was posted in Facebook by one of my students from Malaysia …

And since we’re in a motivational mood before next week’s roller-coaster market gets most of us down … check out this extremely touching commercial from Pantene …

And just one more to help you realize why everyone needs a coach even when you think you don’t.

The message I take from the Pantene commercial and the clip about the coach is that when everything else becomes noisy, you only need to focus on the outcome. Even the deaf girl found her handicap “noisy” as the distractions around her proved too unmotivational. All she had to do was close her eyes and completely block out all that noise for a flawless performance … just like the kid who achieved an amazing feat only because all the “noise” was blocked out by the blindfold and the only focus he had was the voice of his coach.

I hope this was a welcome difference to the usual doom and gloom. I hope you all had a great weekend and pray you’ll have a good one ahead.

Cheers!

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