The Starfish story: One step towards changing the world

You may have heard this one, but I find that it doesn’t hurt to be reminded of it every once in a while. First, let me tell you the story, and then we can talk about it.

One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean. Approaching the boy, he asked, “What are you doing?” The boy replied, “Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die.” “Son,” the man said, “don’t you realise there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can’t make a difference!”After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it back into the surf. Then, smiling at the man, he said…” I made a difference for that one.”

For many of us the “starfish story” is the standard call to duty, knowing that each life you touch matters, even if it is only one.

We all have the opportunity to help create positive change, but if you’re like me, you sometimes find yourself thinking, “I’m already really busy, and how much of a difference can I really make?” I think this is especially true when we’re talking about addressing massive social problems like tackling world hunger or finding a cure for cancer, but it pops up all of the time in our everyday lives, as well. So when I catch myself thinking that way, it helps to remember this story. You might not be able to change the entire world, but at least you can change a small part of it, for someone.

If everything you did had to have a huge, immediate impact before you gave it a little of your time,
then you’d end up doing very little with your life. And sometimes, the little things we do can add up and turn into big things — they make ripples that spread further than we can see.

Those starfish that the young boy saved may have gone on to produce thousands more.

So the next time you get chance to make a small difference, don’t think of the big picture and just do it — after all, it might not make a difference to you, but to somebody else, it might.

Go Make A difference!!!

[by Loren Eiseley]