By now everyone has likely heard the story of the young girl who was walking along the beach one day where thousands of star fish had been washed up following a terrible storm.
Without any fuss, she'd approach each starfish, pick it up, and toss it back into the ocean. This went on for quite some time before a crowd began to develop, many watching her with amusement.
Eventually a man approached her telling her she had no chance of making an impact. "Look at this beach," he cried. "What you're doing won't make any difference. There are literally hundreds and hundreds of starfish scattered across this beach."
For a moment the girl's shoulders slumped and her heart sank. She looked defeated.
But just a moment later, she picked up a starfish resting at her feet and threw it back in the sea. "Made a difference to that one," she beamed.
The old man who'd mocked her just a moment before was so inspired by her gumption he decided to join her.
That story has been told millions of times and one of the reasons it's so important is because we often think our contributions to the world need to be on some grand scale.
And though it's important to dream big, aiming solely to make a dent in the universe often leads us to overlook the smaller ways we can impact a person, or a community.
I've gone into countless situations convinced setting up a few beds at a homeless shelter, or mentoring a student wouldn't make a difference. But it absolutely did.
I may not have launched a rocket, or discovered an innovative way to prevent disease but I've done what I could in whatever community I was fortunate to be a part of.
Find a person, place, or cause you can offer value to in whatever way possible.
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