Change It Up!

Mar 03, 2014 1 Min Read
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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.”

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

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