Once upon a time, there was a young girl who lived close to the beach. On this specific day when the story takes place she decided to go for a walk on the beach. After a long stormy night, the ocean was still, the sky was crystal clear and in the air there was a smell of freshness. The freshness that could only come from the sea. She thought life was amazing until she arrived to the beach where to her great surprise thousands of starfish had been washed up during the terrible storm.
Without thinking twice, she went to each starfish, she picked it up, and threw it back into the ocean. People were watching her with surprise. She had been doing this for some time when a man approached her and asked,
“Hello, can I ask why are you doing this? Look at this beach! The amount of starfish. It’s impossible to save all of them. You can’t make any difference!”
The girl seemed crushed. She really believed in what she was doing. So after a few moments she picked herself up again, she bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it as far as she could into the ocean. Then she looked up at the man and replied,
“Well, I make a difference to that specific one!”
The man looked at the girl and thought about what she said. He realized that this little girl has captured the meaning of life so accurately that he couldn’t help himself but join her in her mission. He picked up a starfish and threw it back into the sea. Soon others got inspired and joined them. In the end all the starfish were saved.
This inspirational story adapted from the Star Thrower by Loren C. Eiseley is a great example for the importance of believing in yourself and doing the things you love even if others don’t approve or understand you. Starting small with baby steps in the right direction can make a huge difference in your life. Believe in your values and dreams and just go for them. Don’t get distracted by the negative comments or disapproving opinions of others. Just think that they don’t know what you already know and keep going.
