Change It Up!

Mar 03, 2014 1 Min Read
Alt

Photo Source: Nana B Agyei

As a man was walking along the beach, he noticed a young boy continuously picking something up and throwing it into the ocean.

He approached the boy and asked, “What are you doing?”

“Throwing the starfish back into the ocean. If I don’t, they will die,” the boy replied.

Then the man said, “You can’t save them all because there are thousands of starfish here on this beach. You can’t possibly make a difference.”

After listening, the boy bent down and picked up another starfish. He threw it back into the ocean and smiled. Then, he told the man, “I made a difference for that one.”

Most of us have heard this story. We refer it when we want to motivate ourselves and others to make a difference.

However, how many of us actually do it? How many of us follow after that young boy who wants to make a change? Let’s go beyond than just knowing the story.

Here are a few, practical ways to make make positive changes in our lives.

First, try waking up earlier. According to lifehack.org, waking up early not only improves your focus throughout the day, it also encourages you to eat a proper balanced breakfast. This will help you kick start your metabolism.

Another tip, strengthen your relationships. Make it a habit to think about others and their needs. Talk to people you have never really bonded with.

Listen to your colleagues or spend some time getting to know them. Go the extra mile to do something nice for them, like giving them a thank you card or a note of encouragement.

Making a difference even in that one person’s life is still an achievement, just like the young boy says in the story.

Finally, be bold to make that difference. Sometimes, we react like the older man. We think that it is impossible to do certain things especially when it comes to changing circumstances.

Take it step by step. You can start with just one person at a time.

As the saying goes, “you can’t change the whole world but you can change the world of that one person.”

Click here to read more articles like this!

Share This

Personal

Alt

This article is published by the editors of Leaderonomics.com with the consent of the guest author. 

You May Also Like

A blue butterfly perched on a flower

Breaking the Cycle of Self-Sabotage: How to Overcome the “Golden Larva Syndrome”

By Manfred F. R. Kets de Vries. Some habits may limit ourselves and our own growth - so how do we identify them and overcome those habits? This article takes a look at the Golden Larva Syndrome and how to break that cycle of habits.

May 29, 2023 7 Min Read

Alt

Raise Your Game: The Age of Talentism

In this Raise Your Game session, Arun Kumar shares that at the end of the day, it is not the technology that makes an organisation, or even an individual unique, it is talent.

Dec 11, 2018 20 Min Podcast

Man siting

Perseverance is Key to Making Your Mark

Sudhir insists that, in order to make our mark on our careers, we have to persevere in the challenges we are faced with, which helps to build the resilience and experience necessary to chase the kind of ambitious career goals we set for ourselves. But that, he believes, can only happen when we truly persevere and learn valuable lessons along the way.

May 02, 2019 20 Min Video

Be a Leader's Digest Reader