The following is an adaptation of Loren Eiseley’s ‘The Starfish Thrower’: One day a man was taking a stroll along a beach. As he’s walking along the man notices someone in the distance, keep bending down to pick something up and then, almost delicately, throwing it into the ocean. As he came closer the man saw thousands of starfish washed up by the high tide and now left stranded and dying on the beach. He observed a young man picking up the starfish and one by one tossing them gently back into the water. After watching this seemingly futile effort, the observer said, “Young man, I’m afraid you’re wasting your time. There are literally thousands of starfish washed up on this beach and for that matter, probably on every beach along this coastline. It would be impossible for you to save them all or even to make the slightest difference.” The young man smiled, but there was a determined look in his eye, as he bent down to pick up another starfish. Tossing it gently back into the ocean he turned to the older man and replied, “Well sir, it certainly made a difference to that one!”

R. Ian Seymour, excerpt adapted from Maximize Your Potential

The following is an adaptation of Loren Eiseley’s ‘The Starfish Thrower’: One day a man was taking a stroll along a beach. As he’s walking along the man notices someone in the distance, keep bending down to pick something up and then, almost delicately, throwing it into the ocean. As he came closer the man saw thousands of starfish washed up by the high tide and now left stranded and dying on the beach. He observed a young man picking up the starfish and one by one tossing them gently back into the water. After watching this seemingly futile effort, the observer said, “Young man, I’m afraid you’re wasting your time. There are literally thousands of starfish washed up on this beach and for that matter, probably on every beach along this coastline. It would be impossible for you to save them all or even to make the slightest difference.” The young man smiled, but there was a determined look in his eye, as he bent down to pick up another starfish. Tossing it gently back into the ocean he turned to the older man and replied, “Well sir, it certainly made a difference to that one!”

R. Ian Seymour, excerpt adapted from Maximize Your Potential