Recipe for Rightful Living: The Star Fish

 Everyone can make a difference in life. Creating each and everyone of us in a unique way is not fortuitous. There is a purpose for it. The world needs everyone to be a better place. The starting point is to identify an area, no matter how small, and act based on your capabilities. You are a solution to a problem. What is this problem? Once you know what it is, swing into action. Start from where you are with what you have. Don’t be intimidated by the size of the problem. Focus on what is in you and use it expeditiously. You may want to go through this short story captured in Recipe for Rightful Living entitled “The Star Fish”. I believe it will make a difference in your approach to how to make the work a better place to live in.

Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work. One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up. As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.

He came closer still and called out 'Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?' The young man paused, looked up, and replied 'Throwing starfish into the ocean.' 'I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?' asked the somewhat startled wise man. To this, the young man replied, 'The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die.'

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, 'But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!' At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, 'It made a difference for that one.'

Moral Lesson

I encourage you to take time to do something that will make a difference to someone else's life ... and it doesn't have to be much and they don't need to know. Just take a moment, do something special ... the universe will know and that's enough.

Source: (Adapted from The Star Thrower by Loren Eiseley (1907-1977)

About the Writer

Isaac Oluyi is a motivational teacher, entrepreneur and entrepreneurship educator. He is happily married with children and can be reached on +234-8060702979 or through email: isaacoluyi@gmail.com