A STORY ABOUT MAKING A DIFFERENCE WHILE OTHERS DO NOT SEE THE MEANING

Every Sunday morning a jogger went for a run around the park near his home. Each time the jogger ran by the lake in the park he saw the same elderly woman sitting at the water’s edge with a small metal cage beside her.

But one Sunday the curiosity got the best of the jogger, so he stopped jogging and walked over to her. As he got closer, he realized that the metal cage was, in fact, a small trap. There were three turtles, unharmed, slowly walking around the base of the trap. She had a fourth turtle in her lap that she was carefully scrubbing with a brush.

“Hello,” said the jogger. “I see you here every Sunday morning. If you don’t mind my nosiness, I’d love to know what you’re doing with these turtles.”

The elderly women smiled. “I’m cleaning off their shells,” she replied. “Anything on a turtle’s shell, like algae or scum, reduces the turtle’s ability to absorb heat and impedes its ability to swim. It can also corrode and weaken the shell over time.”

“Wow! That’s really nice of you!” said the jogger.

The elderly lady then explained to the jogger: “I spend a couple of hours each Sunday morning, relaxing by this lake and helping these little guys out. It’s my own strange way of making a difference.”

“But don’t most freshwater turtles live their whole lives with algae and scum hanging from their shells?” asked the jogger.

“Yep, sadly, they do,” the elderly lady replied.

The jogger was confused “Well then, don’t you think your time could be better spent? I mean, I think your efforts are kind and all, but there are freshwater turtles living in lakes all around the world. And 99% of these turtles don’t have kind people like you to help them clean off their shells. So, no offense… but how exactly are your efforts here truly making a difference?’

The woman giggled aloud. She then looked down at the turtle in her lap, scrubbed off the last piece of algae from its shell, and said, “Sweetie, if this little guy could talk, he’d tell you I just made all the difference in the world.”

Lessons from this story:

• In business as in life, we can make a huge difference to the people around us. It all depends on our actions. We can make a negative difference — making it hard for people to be around us, or we can make a positive difference and attract people around because we “lift them up”.
• Some people understand that by doing something in a certain way leaves an imprint and sets an example of integrity even though it takes more energy and willpower to do so. While some just care about the bottom line and use that as an excuse for taking shortcuts and not taking responsibility for their actions.

Be sure to also read:

WHAT DOES MAKING A DIFFERENCE LOOK LIKE

WHEN SAYING HELLO AND GOODBYE SAVES YOUR LIFE — A STORY ABOUT RESPECT

PAID IN FULL WITH A GLASS OF MILK — LEGACY STORY

WHEN A FLAW IS ACTUALLY AN OPPORTUNITY

AREN’T YOU GOING TO DO SOMETHING — THE TREE STORY

HOW A GARDENER CHANGED THE COMMUNITY

WHAT DO YOU SEE THROUGH YOUR WINDOW

THE IMPORTANCE OF FINDING MEANING IN YOUR WORK

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