Making a Difference

Numerous times we don’t think that just one person doing something no matter how small it is can make a difference.  Well I believe that we can and although we may not see the difference right away that small act can help causes a ripple effect.

I’ve recently completed an online course to help me jumpstart a few things I wanted to get done.  On this course it was discussed how making a habit of doing something, no matter how small it is has a compound effect in the future.   Or that this one thing we do can help just one other person.   We just have to make it a habit.  I hope the following story helps you understand how one person can make a difference.

The Starfish

Once a man was walking along a beach. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day. Off in the distance he could see a person going back and forth between the surf's edge and the beach. Back and forth this person went. As the man approached, he could see that there were hundreds of starfish stranded on the sand as the result of the natural action of the tide.

The man was stuck by the apparent futility of the task. There were far too many starfish. Many of them were sure to perish. As he approached, the person continued the task of picking up starfish one by one and throwing them into the surf.

As he came up to the person, he said: "You must be crazy. There are thousands of miles of beach covered with starfish. You can't possibly make a difference." The person looked at the man. He then stooped down and pick up one more starfish and threw it back into the ocean. He turned back to the man and said: "It sure made a difference to that one!"

So what one thing are you going to do to make a difference?

“I am only one, but still I am one, I cannot do everything, but I can do something, and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something I can do.” ~ Edward E. Hale