As you sit at your desk on a normal working day – whether you love what you do or are less than enamoured with your current means of making a living – do you ever question your situation, as I do? Do you sometimes think to yourself, ‘I could, and probably should, be doing something much more worthwhile – something where I’m really making a difference to the wider world and the welfare of others’?
Since you’re reading this blog, you probably do, unless you’ve already found that calling, in which case, ‘Good on you!’ Really! For myself, I fall into the former category at the moment – and I do mean ‘at the moment’, because change is certainly on the way as I write this. But as I go about my daily life, there are certain sources of inspiration I keep close by to lift me when I need it.
One of these sources is a subscription to website by leading personal development teacher Bob Proctor, which is called ‘Insight of the Day’ (http://www.insightoftheday.com/). Anyhow, from Monday through Thursday, you receive inspirational quotes, to your designated email address, from the likes of Napolean Hill, Dale Carnegie, Tony Robbins, Jack Canfield, John Demartini, Bob himself and many, many other very wise and not so famous folk.
Every Friday, you receive an uplifting story, which often recounts how people overcame great odds to achieve success, dealt with difficult circumstances and relationships, made outstanding discoveries and achieved wonderful things in the face of adversity. And every so often there’s a simple tale of how someone just set out to make a real difference in a particular way or place. One such story recently found its way into my in box and so struck me that I decided to share it here.
As you’ll see, it’s by writer and blogger Sameer Vasta, and has a wider message for us all to consider when we’re sitting at our desk, pondering our current situation. Click on the blue hyperlink and you’ll also be taken to a website where you can find out more about the main subject. Enjoy!
Man grows 1,360-acre forest in India...by himself
A man in India single-handedly planted an entire forest, proving that one person really can make a large difference.
You always hear that one person can make a large difference in the world. Today, we’ve got a story that proves that saying. When he was a teenager in Northern India’s Assam region about 30 years ago, Jadav “Molai” Payeng began planting seeds in a sandbar near his birthplace.
A few years later, he moved into the area and turned the seed-planting and tree-nurturing into his life’s work, planting seeds and helping them grow over a wide area that was initially left for desolate.
Initially, the forest department told Payeng that trees could not grow in that area. He was not dissuaded; instead he dedicated himself to the task of nurturing the forest, and his dedication has produced results.
The Molai woods, in addition to being covered with lush greenery, is now home to a whole host of creatures big and small, including birds, deer, rhinos, tigers, and elephants. Jadav “Molai” Payeng is a hero to those animals, to the ecosystem in the area, and to conservationists across India.
But he is also a hero to us, people living oceans away who don’t necessarily work in forestry or in the environment industry.
Payeng is a hero because he has proven that with commitment, blood, sweat, knowledge, and dedication to making a difference, one person can truly make a difference, and a large difference, to the world.
It’s easy to discount the impact that we can have on the people and places around us. It’s easy to feel insignificant when faced with the enormity of the issues that surround us. But it’s important to remember that our actions, no matter how small they may be, make a difference.
Whether it’s bringing a smile to someone’s day or revitalizing a forest ecosystem, the little acts of kindness and good have enormous impact. Our small actions may not necessarily lead to a forest and safe haven for animals, but they have the potential to grow and flourish all the same.
Sameer Vasta – Writer and Blogger
