Simple Truths: The Power of One

BJ GALLAGHER and STEVE RUTTENBERG

The POWER of ONE How One Person Can Make a Dif ference

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Copyright © 2016 by BJ Gallagher and Steve Ruttenberg Cover and internal design © 2016 by Sourcebooks, Inc. Sourcebooks, the colophon, and Simple Truths are registered trademarks of Sourcebooks, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without permission in writing from its publisher, Sourcebooks, Inc. Photo Credits: Cover: Stockbyte/Getty Images, Andy Roberts/Getty Images Internals: page 1, Stockbyte/Getty Images; page 4, Filograph/iStock; page 7, Lichtmeister/Shutterstock; page 8, STILLFX/Shutterstock; page 13, KieferPix/Shutterstock; pages 14–15, rsooll/Shutterstock; page 16, Phil Jones/Shutterstock; page 18, Petar Paunchev/Shutterstock; page 22, Jandrie Lombard/Shutterstock, My Good Images/Shutterstock; page 24, Stephanie Frey/Shutterstock; pages 26–27, urbancow/iStock; page 28, Dejan Ristovski/iStock; page 30, Kyu Oh/iStock; page 35, Viktoria Gavrilina/Shutterstock; page 37, gpointstudio/Shutterstock; page 38, zhang bo/iStock, Andrew Rich/iStock, Silvia Boratti/iStock; pages 40–41, Dudarev Mikhail/Shutterstock; pages 42–43, Romolo Tavani/ Shutterstock; page 45, FamVeld/Shutterstock; page 46, Koraysa/Shutterstock; page 51, Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock; page 52, STILLFX/Shutterstock; page 54, cabania/Shutterstock; page 55, doodko/Shutterstock, Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock; pages 56–57, Carol Mellema/Shutterstock; page 58, Gts/Shutterstock; page 61, Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock; page 62, Samuel Borges Photography/ Shutterstock; page 65, mashe/Shutterstock, Jiri Hera/Shutterstock; page 66, Dirima/Shutterstock; page 68, wavebreak/iStock, Wavebreakmedia/ Shutterstock; page 69, Dragon Images/Shutterstock; page 71, Viorel Sima/Shutterstock; page 72, Darren Baker/Shutterstock; page 74, Eugene Sergeev/Shutterstock; page 77, Ase/Shutterstock; page 78, Ruth Black/Shutterstock; page 81, Igor Kovalchuk/Shutterstock; page 82, Julia Kuznetsova/Shutterstock, nito/Shutterstock; pages 84–85, Nina Buday/Shutterstock; page 87, topten22photo/Shutterstock; pages 88–89, Subbotina Anna/Shutterstock; page 90, Yeko Photo Studio/Shutterstock; page 92, Africa Studio/Shutterstock; page 97, Monkey Business Images/ Shutterstock; pages 98–99, poba/iStock; page 101, LuckyImages/Shutterstock; page 102, Elena Schweitzer/Shutterstock; pages 104–105, Africa Studio/Shutterstock; page 107, Kryvenok Anastasiia/Shutterstock; page 108, dezi/Shutterstock; page 111, Africa Studio/Shutterstock; page 113, Christin Lola/Shutterstock; page 114, Lorimer Images/Shutterstock; page 115, Sinseeho/Shutterstock, holbox/Shutterstock; page 117, Angela Waye/Shutterstock; page 118, Montypeter/Shutterstock; pages 120–121, LilKar/Shutterstock; page 123, LilKar/Shutterstock; page 124, Tamara Murray/iStock; page 126, EHStock/Shutterstock; page 132, VikaRayu/Shutterstock; page 135, Rob Marmion/Shutterstock; page 136, PedroMatos/ Shutterstock, danm12/Shutterstock; page 137, Tatiana Mihaliova/Shutterstock; page 138, igor kisselev/Shutterstock; page 140, Yellowj/ Shutterstock; pages 142–143, gabyjalbert/Getty Images; page 147, Ilike/Shutterstock; page 151, alphaspirit/Shutterstock.

Published by Simple Truths, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. P.O. Box 4410, Naperville, Illinois 60567-4410 (630) 961-3900 Fax: (630) 961-2168 www.sourcebooks.com Printed and bound in China.

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“I AM ONLY ONE, BUT I AM ONE. I CANNOT DO EVERYTHING, BUT I CAN DO SOMETHING. AND I WILL NOT LET WHAT I CANNOT DO INTERFERE WITH WHAT I CAN DO.” Edward Everett Hale,

author, historian, clergyman

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4 The POWER of ONE

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The POWER of ONE ONE TREE can start a forest.

ONE SMILE can begin a friendship.

ONE HAND can lift a soul.

ONE ACT can inspire a movement.

ONE CANDLE can wipe out darkness.

ONE HOPE can raise our spirits.

ONE TOUCH can show you care.

ONE PERSON can make a difference…

Be that ONE today.

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CONTENTS

FOREWORD . . . . . . . . . 8 I. ONE TREE . . . . . . . . . . 14 Can Start a Forest II. ONE SMILE . . . . . . . . . 26 Can Begin a Friendship III. ONE HAND . . . . . . . . . 42 Can Lift a Soul IV. ONE ACT . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Can Inspire a Movement

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V. ONE CANDLE . . . . . . . 74 Can Wipe Out Darkness VI. ONE HOPE . . . . . . . . . . 88 Can Raise Our Spirits VII. ONE TOUCH . . . . . . . . 104 Can Show You Care VIII. ONE PERSON . . . . . . . . 120 Can Make a Difference…

ABOUT THE AUTHOR .

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. . . 150

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Foreword

by LISA HAMMOND “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

—Margaret Mead

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I have personally experienced the power of Margaret Mead’s words many times. Years ago as I was struggling through the ups and downs of running a small business, a customer sent me a letter that not only changed the direction of my business, but also changed my life. It gave me hope at a time I desperately needed it.

The customer’s name was Liz, and she wrote to tell me that although she couldn’t afford to shop at my catalog company as often as she would like, she wanted me to know that it mattered a great deal to her. She said she looked forward to each and every issue of Femail Creations. With her heartfelt letter, she included two dollars—four The longest journey quarters and a dollar bill. She explained begins with one step. she wanted me to put the money toward mailing costs to make sure the catalog stayed in business so she didn’t miss a single issue.

With tears in my eyes, I read her note over and over again.

I JUST COULDN’T BELIEVE THAT A COMPLETE STRANGER WOULD MAKE SUCH A PROFOUND GESTURE. How did she know the business hung in the balance? How did she know 9

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how much I needed a sign to go on? Her letter couldn’t have come at a better time. I was so grateful for the reminder that the work I was doing mattered and was making a difference.

I shared the story of Liz’s letter with my dear friend Cathy Conheim, founder of the Real Women’s Project, an organization dedicated to helping women realize and celebrate their inherent beauty and strength. Cathy knew all too well how the challenges of constantly being underfunded You may be only and overstressed were impacting me. She also one person, but knew my customers were loyal and believed in you may very the mission of my company. Cathy challenged well be “the one.” me to share the story of Liz’s letter in my blog. At first I thought it was “unprofessional” to share all of my struggles and told Cathy I thought my customers would think I wasn’t being a good leader. But I took a leap of faith.

With all the courage I could muster, I posted the blog and mailed out the newsletter to my customers with the story of Liz’s letter and asked for their vote of confidence and encouragement.

After I sent it out waves of panic hit me. What have I done? They are going to think I am incompetent. They are going to know we are struggling financially. I went ’round and ’round with panic, 10

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consoling myself with the knowledge that at least my customers knew I PUT MY HEART AND SOUL INTO TRYING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. Then an amazing thing happened. A few days after the blog post, letters started arriving at the office. Letters just like the one Liz had sent me, filled with support and encouragement. And more shocking, these letters had money inside—change, dollar bills, or checks for five dollars, ten dollars, even twentyfive dollars. Dozens and dozens of letters began arriving at the office. Then, hundreds of letters started pouring in. It was like being at the North Pole in December! The letters contained heartfelt messages of support and stories of how much the catalog meant to them, encouraging me to never give up. They were voting! They were putting their money where their hearts were.

Not one letter said “you were unprofessional” or “you are a bad leader.” Every single letter said “thank you for telling the truth about how hard it is to do something that makes a difference, and we want you to keep going because it matters to us.” They sent whatever they could afford to give—even though I hadn’t asked for a penny. I asked for a vote of confidence, and I got it.

It was a turning point, and Liz’s letter helped me keep putting one foot in front of the other. I kept her letter and her four quarters and one dollar hanging up in my office for many, many years to remind me of why I was in business. One person—one dollar—can make a big difference!

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I am not alone in this realization. My good friend BJ Gallagher and her coauthor, Steve Ruttenberg, have gathered a handful of wonderful stories in this lovely book—all demonstrating the Power of One. Each and every story reminds us that we may not be able to do everything—but we can always do something. The longest journey begins with one step, the greatest accomplishments begin with one idea, the greatest fortunes were built beginning with the first dollar, and the greatest books are written one word at a time. You may be only one person, but you may very well be “the one” to do great things in the world. Start where you are. Begin now.

YOU HAVE THE POWER OF ONE.

—Lisa Hammond Founder and CEO of Femail Creations

THANK YOU 12

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14 The POWER of ONE

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I. ONE TREE

Can Start a Forest

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THE CREATION OF A THOUSAND FORESTS IS IN ONE ACORN. Ralph Waldo Emerson, essayist, poet, lecturer

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Wisdom in the Woods

by MARLENE COOPER

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“Why do I now feel so much more relaxed walking in the woods than I do in the city?” I asked myself. When I was a young girl, I had no interest in parks, streams, or activities that take place in nature. It wasn’t until six months after my divorce, when I turned thirty-eight, that I discovered the connection I have with nature. Maybe it is because of the divorce that I SEARCHED FOR A PLACE WHERE I COULD TRY TO GET SOME PEACE AND GET BACK IN TOUCH WITH MYSELF. Three times a week, I walk my favorite trail up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. I love these mountains!

This particular trail winds past two incredible waterfalls There is magic in the forest. and is lush and lively with all kinds of birds, squirrels, an occasional deer, and many other forest friends living in this marvelous place.

There is energy in these woods that makes me feel like I am connected to all of life. The entire forest is alive, and it feels like it’s embracing, protecting, and energizing me.

My favorite part of this particular hike is when I round a bend and come upon this huge oak tree. The massive trunk of the 19

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tree is completely covered in thick, soft, bright-green moss. For as long as I have walked this trail, I have always stopped at the oak tree and placed my hand on top of the moss. I hold my hand there for a while. I like the way the moss feels.

I visualize myself giving the tree love and energy. I ask the tree to please give my life direction and meaning and to help me fulfill my destiny. I always feel this jolt of clarity and peace when I connect with this magical oak tree.

On a hot, summer day in July, I walked the trail, about to round the bend where the oak tree is, when I stopped in my tracks. Just ten feet in front of me was a pretty good-looking guy with a knapsack on his back, standing with his right hand on the moss of my oak tree.

He turned around and said, “Hi.” “Hi, what are you doing?” I asked.

“I’m asking my friend here for direction and meaning,” he said.

You can only imagine what was going through my mind.

Eight months later, the two of us were married. That incredible oak tree answered both of our requests for direction and meaning. Mark and I have been together for twenty-four years. We have two children and three grandchildren. That oak tree helped us sprout a beautiful and loving family and confirmed for us both that THERE IS MAGIC IN THE FOREST. 20 The POWER of ONE

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THE CLEAREST WAY INTO THE UNIVERSE IS THROUGH A FOREST WILDERNESS. John Muir,

pioneer environmentalist

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What is

INTUITION? Internal Natural True Unmistakable Instinctive Tuned in Insightful On the mark Never fails —BJ Gallagher

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BUT I’LL TELL YOU WHAT HERMITS REALIZE. IF YOU GO OFF INTO A FAR, FAR FOREST AND GET VERY QUIET, YOU’LL COME TO UNDERSTAND THAT YOU’RE CONNECTED WITH EVERYTHING. Alan Watts,

British-born philosopher and interpreter of Zen Buddhism

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“SOMEONE IS SITTING IN THE SHADE TODAY BECAUSE SOMEONE PLANTED A TREE A LONG TIME AGO.” Warren Buffett,

billionaire investor and philanthropist

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