Once upon a time, there was an old man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing.He had a habit of walking on the beach every morning before he began his work. Early one morning, he was walking along the shore after a big storm had passed and found the vast beach littered with starfish as far as the eye could see, stretching in both directions. .
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Off in the distance, the old man noticed a small boy approaching. As the boy walked, he paused every so often and as he grew closer, the man could see that he was occasionally bending down to pick up an object and throw it into the sea. The boy came closer still and the man called out, “Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?”
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The young boy paused, looked up, and replied “Throwing starfish into the ocean. The tide has washed them up onto the beach and they can’t return to the sea by themselves,” the youth replied. “When the sun gets high, they will die, unless I throw them back into the water.”
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The old man replied, “But there must be tens of thousands of starfish on this beach. I’m afraid you won’t really be able to make much of a difference.”
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The boy bent down, picked up yet another starfish and threw it as far as he could into the ocean. Then he turned, smiled and said, “It made a difference to that one!”
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Most of us have heard versions of this parable over and over again but it bears repeating. The core values of @elitefts are "Live. Learn. Pass on." This does not always mean taking the weight of the world onto your shoulders, but it can appear to someone else that you are doing just that by caring for a singular individual in their time of need. Simple words can change a life. .
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As an individual we may not be able to change the world but we can change someone's world. Whenever I am feeling overwhelmed at the opportunity i've been given to contribute and help others, I always ground myself by recalling 2014. Words spoken to me then by Traci Tate, co-owner of the company, forever changed who I was and who I will be. She said "You really do love this don't you? You're a good person to be in this sport". .
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That simple phrase filled me with conviction that has never wavered and will never be broken. I was the proverbial starfish that day as I was awestruck by her, @underthebar , @thefreakshow83 , @mad_scientist_duffin , and @chadaichs but now I am proud to contribute in my own way as a representative of the company.
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I implore all of you to try to change the world, and to spread goodness, passion, and betterment because rather than considering what all could go wrong, consider the possibility of what will happen if it all goes right? You may very well succeed @coach_jl