By David Larson, Tribune columnist

Last time I began my series on getting more from less, on getting there faster by slowing down. I promised I would be more specific on how to make this a reality in our lives.

Here is the next installment. If you’ve been practicing your breathing from last time, you are

already feeling your days stretching out, and feeling less stress too.

Many of you have heard the story about the science teacher who gave the following

demonstration in his class.

He set on his desk a wide-mouthed jar and several boxes. Out of one box he pulled out a handful of rocks and placed them in the jar until they filled it to the top. Holding up a few more of rocks and pointing to the jar, he asked the class, &uot;Can I get anymore in here?&uot;

The class responded in unison, &uot;No!&uot;

He then reached his hand into another box and pulled out several handfuls of gravel. He gradually let the gravel seep through his hands and into the jar where the smaller pebbles filled in the spaces between the bigger stones.

&uot;Is it full now?&uot; the instructor inquired.

Several in the class now affirmed, &uot;Yes, sir!&uot;

Reaching into another container, he pulled out a scoopful of sand and poured the sand into the jar. Again, the smaller kernels dropped down into the spaces still existing between the pieces of gravel. He packed it tight at the top. He then asked the class what was the point he was trying to make with the exercise.

One student said, &uot;Appearances are deceiving.&uot;

Another shouted out, &uot;You can get tricked if you don’t know where the teacher is headed.&uot;

The instructor laughed, and affirmed both of the answers as having merit.

&uot;Think of the jar as your life &045; then what?&uot; he challenged.

&uot;You can always squeeze more into your life if you just try,&uot; purported a young freshman from the back.

&uot;What if I had filled the jar with the sand first?&uot;

&uot;You wouldn’t have had room for anything else,&uot; a gal on from the left row proclaimed.

&uot;Now you’re getting it,&uot; said the teacher. &uot;The larger rocks represent the big things in your life, those things most important to you. These must go in the jar first, or you’ll never get them in later on.

&uot;The same was true for the gravel, representing things we want in our lives from our list. If the sand, representing the incidentals in life, those countless things we don’t think about much but eat up our time, had had been thoughtlessly put in first, there would have been no room for the things that give our lives meaning.&uot;

Knowing what is important to us from the beginning is critical to a life fulfilled.

So, how do we find out what’s really important to each of us? Here are some questions that may help sort it out.

What puts a smile on your face? What activities, situations or people energize you rather than drain you? What makes you feel you’re glad you are on the planet? What do you like to do when you have some free time? What couldn’t you live without? When you go deep within, what do you know for sure?

Your responses to these questions will point you toward your rocks, the most important of your life’s activities and dreams. For example, if what puts a smile on your face is generating smiles on the faces of children, spend more time with kids.

As you answer these six questions, you will know some of the things you want to give top priority in your life. Fill your life with these things first. It’s quality, not quantity.

The more you CHOOSE, the less you LOSE. Leave the sand for the beach!

As the bell rang, the instructor picked up the cup of coffee on his desk and poured it into the jar.

&uot;Always remember,&uot; he said, &uot;no matter how full your life is, there is always room for a cup of coffee with a friend.&uot;

(David A. Larson, M.S., C.P.C.C., psychologist and life coach, may be reached at the Institute For Wellness, (507) 373-7913, or at his Web site, www.callthecoach.com.)