DAY 3 of 7 Days of Inspirational Quotes
“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the water to create many ripples.” —Mother Teresa
How many times do we do something small and think to ourselves that if only we could do something big, it would have some wonderful effect on others? For some reason we don’t think our small effort is enough. “Who am I anyway?” we ask ourselves. I’m just one person doing one small deed. I’m not going to change the world. I’m not even going to change the world on my block, or in my subdivision. Well, we simply cannot think that way. Sometimes all it takes is one person doing a small deed to make a big change. How is that possible? Awareness. And sometimes it’s a small person starting the awareness.
Ever hear about a little kid who sells lemonade to collect money to fight cancer, or a child who decides to challenge the kids in his class to collect money to provide clean drinking water to kids in Africa? What happens? Through social media, other people become aware of what these kids are doing, and soon you have corporations matching donations dollar for dollar. It might start as a small ripple but soon, it’s changing the lives of many people.
But it doesn’t have to be a national or global response! You can throw your little stone and create your own ripples. Perhaps you know of a family who is in need of some food or clothing. You can go out and shop for them, creating a nice little care package, and deliver it to their door. But suppose you mention it to your best friend, and she tells her husband, and he tells a co-worker, and soon the whole office wants to help. You created a ripple that brought change to a family in need. It might not seem like much, but to that family in need, it is HUGE!
Never think that what you do to help, or what contribution you make, is too small. When you decide to become involved, you have already started a ripple. Good attracts more good. You might be just one cog in the wheel, but where would we be if we had to do it all by ourselves? Your act on its own might not change the world, but if we never reached out; never became active in the cause we believe in, where would the change come from? It takes all of us working together to make the change.
Be that change in the world. Look at all the people who have been inspired by one Catholic nun. Look at all the people who decided to use their lives for good, just like Mother Teresa. I’m thinking of one person in particular- Princess Diana. She was inspired to help others partly because of Mother Teresa, and partly because she knew it was the right thing to do since she was a person in the public eye. She used her position to attract awareness to her many causes. Princess Diana was a genuinely good person who lived her life always trying to help others, and teaching her children about the duty we each have to reach out to those less-fortunate and help them any way we can. She was just one person, but she changed the world for the better.
Be the ripple in your children’s lives, your family’s lives, and the lives of many others who need your help. Nothing you can do is ever too small, too insignificant, or too wasted. You can make a change, too.
Tami Loves…small acts of kindness that lead to bigger and better changes.
