Have you ever snapped out of a long, focused, productive work session and wondered “what the hell am I doing?” Wondering what the hell you’re working toward, wondering if the blood, sweat, and literal tears are making a difference at all.
I’ve had more of these moments than I care to lament over. Fortunately it often worked out that just as I was ready to tell the world to go fu*ck itself (in a kind, diplomatic way of course, sans the use of curse words), someone would step forward with words of gratitude and a “thank you for the work you do.”
In those moments I was empowered to move beyond the questioning, past the frustration, and rest resolute in the meaning in my work. Content with positively affecting the life of one person: because one person is enough.
On a day-to-day basis we may not be changing the entire world, but we can and do change a small part of it. Stay the course, because what we do matters. Shine brightly, because someone needs your light.
One starfish at a time…
The Starfish Story
Once upon a time, there was an old man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach every morning before he began his work. Early one morning, he was walking along the shore after a big storm had passed and found the vast beach littered with starfish as far as the eye could see, stretching in both directions.
Off in the distance, the old man noticed a small boy approaching. As the boy walked, he paused every so often and as he grew closer, the man could see that he was occasionally bending down to pick up an object and throw it into the sea. The boy came closer still and the man called out, “Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?”
The young boy paused, looked up, and replied “Throwing starfish into the ocean. The tide has washed them up onto the beach and they can’t return to the sea by themselves,” the youth replied. “When the sun gets high, they will die, unless I throw them back into the water.”
The old man replied, “But there must be tens of thousands of starfish on this beach. I’m afraid you won’t really be able to make much of a difference.”
The boy bent down, picked up yet another starfish and threw it as far she could into the ocean. Then he turned, smiled and said, “It made a difference to that one!” – adapted from The Star Thrower, by Loren Eiseley
“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”
– Jane Goodall
