You’re a Hero to Somebody

I would like to start with a poem.

I didn’t write it, but it can be found here.  I have pasted the words below for your convenience:

One day an old man was walking down the beach just before dawn. In the distance he saw a young man picking up stranded starfish and throwing them back into the sea. As the old man approached the young man, he asked,

“Why do you spend so much energy doing what seems to be a waste of time?”

The young man explained that the stranded starfish would die if left in the morning sun. The old man exclaimed,

“But there must be thousands of starfish. How can your efforts make any difference?”

The young man looked down at the starfish in his hand and as he threw it to safety in the sea, he said,

“It makes a difference to this one!”

There are a lot of things I gather from this story, but here are a few:

First, the starfish represents all the problems in the world or people who need help/inspiration, and there are so many that we can’t possibly fix or help them all.  Second, the young man represents the people who choose to do something about it, even though they know they can’t completely solve the problem on their own.  However, they realize that unless THEY do something, no one ever will.  And perhaps their example will spur others on to join in and make a difference alongside them.

Lastly, the old man represents those who criticize and complain.  “Why are you doing that?  You’ll never make it.  Why even try?” And deep down, they feel guilty because they know the things they’re complaining about are the very things they ought to be doing.

The amazing thing is how the young man responds: “It makes a difference to that one!”  Don’t you think that one starfish is extremely grateful that the young man didn’t back out in the face of adversity?

In life, you will influence people – you can’t avoid it!  You will either spur them on towards greatness, or you will influence them for the worse.

Here’s the catch –

It’s your choice.

Inspiring others to greatness isn’t easy – in fact, it takes hard work.  However, if you convince yourself not to give up and do the hard things first, exhibit character and integrity, and discipline yourself, it will be well worth it.  Not only will you feel more accomplished, but others will begin to take notice.

You’ll make a difference to a whole lot of starfish 😉

Make the hard choices, because they’re right.

Be bold, because your character is on the line.

Be disciplined, because others are watching you.

Don’t quit –

Because you’re a hero to somebody.

 

Until next time,

Hope Frances