It’s Little Things that Make a Big Difference

Once Lord Rama was taking a morning walk at the beach, before final assault on Sri Lanka. He saw that along with the morning tide came hundreds of starfish and when the tide receded, they were left behind and with the morning sun rays, they would die. The tide was fresh, and the starfish were alive.

The Rama took a few steps, picked one and threw it into the water. He did that repeatedly. Right behind him there was Hanuman who couldn’t understand what his master Rama was doing. He caught up with him and asked, “What are you doing? There are hundreds of starfish. How many can you help? What difference does it make my Lord?”

Rama did not reply, took two more steps, picked up another one, threw it into the water, and said, “It makes a difference to this one.”

My expressions

What difference are we making? Big or small, it does not matter. If everyone made a small difference, we’d end up with a big difference, wouldn’t we?

That means if someone takes time out of his or her day to attend to you, there’s something they haven’t done for themselves or for someone else. It’s the little things in life that make the biggest difference.

Think about the hinges on doors. Even the largest of doors swing on small hinges, and if those hinges weren’t there, that door wouldn’t swing at all.

For instance, a change of a few words in a sentence can give it much more impact or a different meaning for a reader. Knowing how to use a hair product can mean the difference between curly or frizzy hair. Getting up one hour earlier can increase your productivity at work.