Have you tried to make a difference to someone’s life? How did it feel?
I’m sure you felt happy and content. Making a difference to someone’s life is like giving a new lease of life to the person, isn’t it?
But why do some of us feel it’s so hard to make a difference in the lives of others, whether they are our family, friends, or just anyone.
Do we really try that hard to make a difference at all?
I feel each one of us is but one person: burdened, limited with our own cares and responsibilities.
We often want to make a difference, but feel there is so much to be done, and we have so little to give.
Something or the other stops us from taking that first step to make a difference or reaching out to others.
Most of us get so busy with our own lives that we tend to ignore others around us. It is often the lack of time and money that often hinders us to make a difference in the lives of one another.
I can – I do my bit by taking out time and trying to help, inspire, and motivate people.
We need to just look at our end and do as much as possible – even if it’s making a difference to one person and his or her whole world.
Let’s make a difference.
Here’s a story I read online about how it only takes one person to make a difference to the society and the world. I loved it and thought of sharing an excerpt from it here with you.
“We can do no great things – only small things with great love.” ~ Mother Teresa
A Story to Make a Difference
Once as a man was walking down a deserted beach early morning, and he saw another figure faraway. As they both approached each other, he could make out that the other person was a local native.
The local kept leaning down to pick up something, and throwing it back into the water. Repeatedly, he hurled things into the sea.
As their distance lessened, the man could see that the native was picking up starfish that was washed upon the beach. And one by one, the native was throwing them back into the water.
It looked like he was trying to make a difference somewhere, though nothing was clear yet to the man.
The man looked puzzled and asked the native what he was doing.
The native replied, “I’m throwing these starfish back into the sea. Because of low tide all of them have been washed up onto the shore. If I don’t throw them back into the sea, they will die due to lack of oxygen.”
The man said, “But there are thousands of such starfish on this beach. You can’t possibly save all of them. And this same thing must be happening on many other beaches also. Can’t you see that you cannot possibly make a difference?”
The native smiled, and carried on doing his work. He bent down, picked up another starfish and as he threw if back into the sea he replied, “See, I made a difference to that one!”
So, wasn’t he trying to make a difference in his own way? Let’s try to learn lessons from it.
“I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.” ~ Helen Keller
Lesson to Take Back Home
You can make a difference by doing what you can do. Whatever it might be, whatever you think you’re capable of – even if it’s just saving a starfish.
It’s not about others, it’s all about you. It’s not about the entire problem; it’s about the problem that lies in front of you.
You can see a thousand problems, but even if you attempt to solve one problem – you make a difference.
The local native’s efforts did lessen the number of starfishes on the beach. May be he didn’t try to make a difference, but he realized his responsibility and just did his bit.
What’s your bit and what’s stopping you from doing it?
Remember, when we leave this shore, there will still be many starfish abandoned on the beach. Perhaps we can’t change the world, but can’t we help change one person’s whole world?
One at a time, can’t you and me do something to make a difference?
We can, if we really want to.
“We must become the change we want to see in the world.” ~ Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
Over to you –
Could you relate to the story? How do you feel you can make a difference to someone? Have you tried to make a difference in such a way that it’s helped others, or helped in some existing social problems or causes? Share in the comments.