The story below is one of my favorites and I have references to it in both my house and office, but it came unexpectedly to me in an email yesterday and I appreciated the reminder that it only takes one. Maybe you can use the reminder, too.
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 he was walking along the shore. As he looked down the beach, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself to think of someone who would dance to the day. So he began to walk faster to catch up. As he got closer, he saw that it was a young boy and the young boy wasn't dancing; instead he was reaching down to the shore, picking up something and very gently throwing it into the ocean.
As he got closer he called out, "Good morning! What are you doing?"
The young boy paused, looked up and replied, "Throwing starfish into the ocean."
"Why are you throwing starfish in the ocean?"
"The sun has come up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in the ocean they'll die."
"But, young man, don't you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it. You can't possibly make a difference!"
The young boy listened politely. Then bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the sea, past the breaking waves and said-
"It made a difference for that one."
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