An old man had a habit of early morning walks on the beach. One day, after a storm, he saw a human figure in the distance moving like a dancer. As he came closer he saw that it was a young woman and she was not dancing but was reaching down to the sand, picking up a starfish and very gently throwing them into the ocean. ”Young lady,” he asked, “Why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?” ”The sun is up, and the tide is going out, and if I do not throw them in they will die”, she said. ”But young lady, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it? You cannot possibly make a difference.” The young woman listened politely, paused and then bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the sea, past the breaking waves, saying, “It made a difference for that one. The old man looked at the young woman inquisitively and thought about what she had done. Inspired, he joined her in throwing starfish back into the sea. Soon others joined, and all the starfish were saved.” The Star Thrower; Loren C. Eiseley 1969.
In his book, the ONE Thing, Gary Keller asks the question, “What’s the ONE THING I can do this week, that by doing it everything else would be easier or unnecessary?”
If you really break it down: Life is a series of singular decisions. Some large. Some small.
You’ve heard the saying, “Yard by yard; life is hard. Inch by inch, life’s a cinch.”
Don’t think of the many tasks you have to finish or the daunting goal you’ve set. Don’t think about the total amount of weight you have to lose or how many classes to pass before achieving your PhD. Start with one thing. One purpose. One direction. One focus.
One thing can make a difference.
Key Question: Are you doing TOO MANY THINGS?
See, the problem with multitasking is that it gives you MORE OPPORTUNITIES to FAIL QUICKER. When we have several things spinning, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and feel defeated. But there’s a psychological advantage when you knock one thing down at a time. I call it call it the importance of “achieving wins”. Winning is contagious. It starts healthy habits of success in your life. It’s time to start winning. What is one thing you can do to WIN right now? In any category. Start with ONE thing. One step. One victory.
The power of ONE.
One deal you can close from your list of prospectives.
One bill you can pay against a debt.
One load of laundry you can finish against the pile.
One email you can close from your inbox.
One call you can return.
One person you can connect with.
One commitment you can make.
One uninterrupted block of time to spend with someone.
One intervention to have.
One conversation to start.
One goal you can set.
The Bible has a lot to say about this. Philippians 4:13,14 says, “Brothers, I don’t consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But ONE THING I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining for what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
In Matthew 6:33 Jesus says, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you as well.”
Paul told the church in Philippi, the ONE THING matters. If you’re ONE THING is motivated by a GOD THING, it is unstoppable.
And Jesus says in Matthew, if your FIRST THING is a GOD THING, everything else FITS. There’s POWER in PRIORITIES in life.
So, what is your ONE THING?
One cause you can join.
One passage you can study.
One person you can invite.
One neighbor you can meet.
One attitude you can correct.
One addiction you can break.
One life you can change for all eternity.
Start now. You can do this. Refuse to see the vastness of the task in front of you. Just pick up a starfish and start slinging. Decide to make a difference for that one. Your action will be contagious. Soon others will join. Goals will be realized. Results will be achieved. Movements will be started. Lives will be changed. Causes will be ignited.
Never underestimate the power of one.
Dennis Bloodworth 