One of the great motivational stories of all time is the Star Thrower (from an essay by Loren Eiseley).
In the story we see a beach that is covered by starfish that have been grounded from the low tide. A child picks up a starfish and throws it into the sea, but as she reaches for another, a man comes along.
"Stop wasting your time!" the man warns the child. "There are far too many starfish and only one of you. You'll never save them all!"
The child picks up another starfish and sends it out to sea.
"It made a difference for this one!" she smiles.
The moral is simple:
There may be more people in the world than we can help, but if we focus our impact on one person at a time, we will serve far more people than if we never try.
Today the world seems to be in great turmoil and the daily news seems to have far more tragedies than ever before.
While so much is wrong, while we need change, we also have to focus on the positive.
There are lots of good, positive, and healthy things happening every day. Yet, that's not the emotional news that is broadcast. It happens every day in all cities and towns. Those are the stories and the lessons we need to hear and focus on.
We can all make a difference. We can all help someone else. One of my personal favorite quotes is:
"To the world you may be one, but to one you may be the world."
Think of who has helped you and what it meant. Think of how many times people have helped you over the years. The small things are as important as the big ones. Make a list of the support and kindnesses shown you over the years. I bet you'll be surprised. Have you paid it forward?
Let's all make a difference for one today. Let's all do something positive. Let's make the world a better place to live. It's up to us, each one of us. Let's start today, right here, right NOW.