The ULTIMATE Quest!

Now that you've completed your own quest to Change Your Stars!
you're ready for

You WILL believe in miracles!

Welcome to
THE ULTIMATE QUEST!

The reason I believe you have to have at least
made some positive progress on your own Quest!
is because you have to own something before you can give it away,
and THAT'S what THE ULTIMATE QUEST! is all about.

This is YOUR chance to help someone else change THEIR stars!

In the sea of change
it is our responsibility
to light the way for others.

Anonymous

Every breath, every heart beat brings with it
the promise of a new start, a new day,
a new opportunity to make a difference in your life
or in the life of someone else.
Don't wait for something to happen to make things better,
step up and make it happen on your own.
You control your own destiny,
and have the opportunity to influence someone else's destiny,
for the better.

Jace Carlton

Now, I don't have all the answers or ideas so that's why I'm turning to YOU!
This is where we'll all come together to assist each other.

By myself I have limited resources,
but TOGETHER we have UNLIMITED resources
to make a difference in other people's lives.
You may help someone you already know,
a family member, a friend, a neighbor, a co-worker,
or you may choose to help a complete stranger in your own neighborhood
or in another part of the world ...
it's completely up to you!

The important thing is to remember that you CAN make a difference,
even if it's just one person at a time.
Below is an example of what I'm talking about.
With special permission I present:

The Star Thrower *
by
Joel Barker

The following story was inspired by the writing of Loren Eiseley.
Eiseley was a very special person
because he combined the best of two cultures.
He was a scientist and a poet.
And from those two perspectives
he wrote insightfully and beautifully about the world and our role in it.

Once upon a time, there was a wise man, much like Eiseley himself,
who used to go to the ocean to do his writing.
He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.
One day he was walking along the shore.
As he looked down the beach,
he saw a human figure moving like a dancer.
He smiled to himself to think of someone who would dance to the day.
So he began to walk faster to catch up.
As he got closer, he saw that it was a young man
and the young man wasn't dancing,
but instead he was reaching down to the shore,
picking up something and very gently throwing it into the ocean.

As he got closer, he called out, "Good morning! What are you doing?"
The young man paused, looked up and replied
"Throwing starfish into the ocean."

"I guess I should have asked,
Why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?"

"The sun is up and the tide is going out.
And if I don't throw them in they'll die."

"But young man, don't you realize
that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it.
You can't possibly make a difference!"

The young man listened politely,
then bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the sea,
past the breaking waves.
"It made a difference for that one!"

His response surprised the man. He was upset.
He didn't know how to reply.
So instead, he turned away
and walked back to the cottage to begin his writings.

All day long as he wrote, the image of the young man haunted him.
He tried to ignore it, but the vision persisted.
Finally, late in the afternoon
he realized that he the scientist, he the poet,
had missed out on the essential nature of the young man's actions.
Because he realized that what the young man was doing
was choosing not to be an observer in the universe
and watch it pass by,
but was choosing to be an actor in the universe and make a difference.
He was embarrassed.

That night he went to bed troubled.
When the morning came he awoke
knowing that he had to do something.
So he got up, put on his clothes,
went to the beach and found the young man.
And with him he spent the rest of the morning
throwing starfish into the ocean.
You see, what that young man's actions represent
is something that is special in each and everyone of us.
We have all been gifted with the ability to make a difference.
And if we can, like that young man, become aware of that gift,
we gain through the strength of our vision
the power to shape the future.

And that is your challenge. And that is my challenge.
We must each find our starfish.
And if we throw our stars wisely and well,
I have no question that the 21st century
is going to be a wonderful place.

reprinted on ChangeYourStars.com with special permission by Joel Barker

(c) 1990, Joel Barker. All International Rights Reserved.
This story may not be used, copied, printed, or duplicated in any manner
without the express written permission of Joel Barker.

* Special note: This story has been plagiarized by several other people
since Mr. Barker first shared it with some high school graduates in 1978
without giving him the proper acknowledgment and credit.
It is ONLY Mr. Barker's star thrower story in which the young man speaks and says,
"It made a difference for that one."
These others claim they got their story from Loren Eiseley,
but they obviously never even read the citation
since at no time does the young man say anything.
In fact, the phrase never appears anywhere in Eiseley's story.
Mr. Barker received special permission from his widow
to modify the story that way,
and I received special permission from Mr. Barker
to use his story on this website if I used it in its entirety.
ALL other versions of this story,
especially all other versions with the
"It made a difference for that one"
are counterfeits.

So please, if you desire to share this wonderful story with others,
have the courtesy to give full acknowledgment and credit
to its original author, Mr. Joel Barker.
Thank you! - Jace

If not now, WHEN?
If not us, WHO?

THE ULTIMATE QUEST! is about accepting the challenge
to help one other person to change THEIR OWN stars!
Don't worry ... you won't be in this alone -
I'll be here to guide you along your way,
though having already completed your OWN Quest
the chances are you won't need much help from me.

Once you've completed The Ultimate Quest! you may choose to do it again,
helping another, and then another,
but I recommend that you only strive to help one person at a time
(perhaps 2 or 3 once you become proficient)
so you can concentrate your full efforts as effectively as possible.

Along the way you may wonder
"Am I REALLY making a difference?"
I testify to you that this works.
Just focus on the other person and remember
"It WILL make a difference for that one"

Congratulations
to
Stephanie Grayson

The newest addition to
THE ULTIMATE QUEST!
Mentoring Program

It's a pleasure to be working with you, Stephanie!

Jace

MENTORING for THE ULTIMATE QUEST!

This truly IS
THE ULTIMATE!

It wasn't that long ago when we needed someone to guide us and, oh, how grateful we were for those who believed in us and just gave us a chance.

Now, as an Ultimate Quest Mentor you're in a position to TRULY make a difference in someone else's life. Because you'll be working with someone else to assist them in making changes in their life, literally changing their stars, this will require you to have integrity and be personally committed to follow up with the person you're mentoring and follow through on any and all agreements you make together. They will be counting on you to guide them and inspire them; the motivation is up to them. Remember, this is about teamwork, so don't hesitate to contact me for any ideas or advice you might need. It's my intention to set up a network of mentors to share ideas, thus strengthening the overall effectiveness of this program.

Here are the steps:

1. Thoughtfully consider who you want to work with. It should be someone who has a desire to really do something special with their life, but perhaps just hasn't had the chance to really show their talents and abilities and make the meaningful advances they'd wish they could have. These are the kind of people who are already motivated, they just need a helping hand to get over those hurdles. Together you'll be working out a plan to create miracles in their life.

2.   Offer to assist them clarify their goals and their plan for attaining them. They may be a student who wants to improve their grades in order to qualify for scholarships and the college of their choice. They may be an athlete who wants to reach that next level of achievement, to improve on their personal best. They may be someone who wants to advance in their career and needs someone to work with, one-on-one, to make a special dream come true. Or it just might be someone like you ... someone who wants to do something special for someone else, and you're the one who can show them the way.

3.    Introduce them to The Quest! and, if you'd like, either one of you can e-mail me to introduce yourselves and share your goal(s) and plan.

4.   Assist them in working the steps of The Quest!

5.   Whenever you're in contact with the person you're mentoring you should ALWAYS have positives to say, NEVER anything negative! Be patient with them. They're looking for someone who will believe in them, someone they can trust. You'll earn that thrust through your comments and actions.

6.   Share uplifting ideas, messages and stories with them. Refer books and other valuable resources to them (this is in line with Step 1 of The Quest!) This will keep them focused on their goal(s) and assist them in keeping a positive frame of mind towards themselves and this process, and keep them believing in themselves and that their dreams CAN become realities.

7.   Be sure to celebrate even the smallest of victories along the way, because these celebrations add a lot to their self-image and self-esteem.

8.   When they achieve their goals join in the celebration, but remember, the glory is all theirs because THEY'RE the one who made the commitment to Change Their Stars! ... you were there as their mentor ... the one who believed in them. You're personal reward, your quiet glory, comes with the satisfaction of seeing someone else change THEIR stars and launching them into a newer and better life for themselves.