Long ago, a huge fire erupted in a forest, and all the animals fled in terror. A wolf spotted a hummingbird flying back and forth high overhead and asked what it was doing.

“I am going to the lake,” the hummingbird said. “I draw some water into my beak and then I throw it on the fire to extinguish it.”

The wolf laughed and said, “Do you really think you can put this big fire out all by yourself?”

The hummingbird replied: “The forest is my home. It feeds and shelters me and my family. Maybe I can’t put out the fire, but I can do my part.”

The forest spirits, hearing the hummingbird, were moved by its devotion to the forest and sent a downpour of rain, which put an end to the great fire.

This story from Bits & Pieces shows what can happen when everyone does their part. If everyone does a little, no one must do a lot. Everyone can make a difference.

Helping others and making a difference in the world is what makes the world a better place. One person at a time, one day at a time, and one project at a time, you can make a difference that will leave a lasting impact.

Some of the biggest heroes in a business aren’t head honchos. They’re the regular employees who take extra care to do their best.

The development of the World Wide Web in 1994 at MIT’s Laboratory for Computer Science is credited to Tim Berners-Lee, a British computer scientist. According to an article in Reader’s Digest, “In the late 1980s, he proposed a project that combined hypertext (the system that allows you to click on links and open other webpages) and the internet. His goal was to allow researchers a place to share information online so that others could see it any time of the day. The result was the World Wide Web we know and rely on today.”

Recently, I had the opportunity to speak to about 3,000 Subway franchisees in Las Vegas. I heard many stories about customer service, cleanliness and their No. 1 problem: attracting and keeping good employees. But one story from an Illinois franchisee caught my attention. He told me that sales in one of his stores were up more than 50%. I asked him why, and he told me it was all because of Sally, the store manager.

He said: “She’s a people person par excellence and makes every single customer feel like they are her favorite and only customer. She moves mountains to get to know the people personally and has developed friendships with many of them.”

Security guard Frank Wills noticed tape over the lock of a basement door as he made his rounds at the Watergate office building in Washington, D.C., in June of 1972. He assumed a worker had left it there accidentally, so he removed it. But Wills found the tape again on the same door. He called the police, and you know the rest. Two years later, President Nixon resigned over his involvement in the coverup of the Watergate break-in.

Susan B. Anthony was both a revered and despised American political figure. In the late 1800s, she crusaded for women’s right to vote, which didn’t come to pass until several years after her death. At that time, the majority opinion was that women shouldn’t vote and were not the equal of men. Anyone trying to change the status quo was considered a troublemaker. Still, Anthony soldiered on and eventually earned a following. She was the leader who inspired, motivated and refused to give up -- a single person who made a big difference.

Mackay’s Moral: We can talk about making a difference or we can make a difference.

In Aesop’s fable about the goose and the golden egg, the farmer visits his goose’s nest one day and finds a golden egg. Morning after morning, he collects a solid gold egg from the goose and becomes very rich. One day, hoping to get all his goose’s gold at once, he killed the goose, only to discover the goose was empty.

“Success is not a get-rich-quick scheme,” said motivational author Glenn Van Ekeren. “It is, however, a day-by-day process. Short-term personal profits are not synonymous with long-term prosperity.”

Don’t be like the farmer and ruin your chances for long-term success by being impatient.

One of my friends gave me this advice, which I have followed faithfully over the years. Before you go to bed each night, celebrate your successes of the day. Identify at least one great thing that happened. Think about what accomplishments made you most proud. When you focus on your daily success, you’ll look forward to producing more success tomorrow.

And I would add, there is no such thing as an “overnight success.”

Success is not easy. It might take longer than you expect. There will be days when you question yourself and wonder if it’s worth it or if you are on the right path. Trust your gut. Pay your dues. Work hard and work smart, and eventually success will come.

John Wooden didn’t win his first national college basketball title until his 16th season coaching at UCLA. Starbucks didn’t open its fifth store until 13 years after being founded. Sam Walton didn’t open his second store until seven years after creating Walmart.

Success takes time.

I remember reading about a former president of General Motors who started out as a stock boy. At his retirement, a reporter asked him if it were possible for a young person starting at the bottom today to get to the top.

“Indeed it is,” he replied. “The sad fact, however, is that so few young people realize it. Keep thinking ahead of your job! Let no one or anything stand between you and a difficult task. Let nothing deny you the rich opportunity to gain strength in adversity, confidence in mastery. Do each task better each time. Do it better than anyone else can do it!”

Just as brand names tell consumers about the products they buy, a personal brand tells other people about you: your strengths, goals and commitment to success. Put some work into defining and establishing your brand so it reflects the image you want. Try these ideas.

-- Identify your established strengths. Talk to your co-workers and your manager about what you’re known for -- the strengths they depend on, the tasks you’re the “go-to” person for, and so on. Decide which of these to emphasize (by volunteering for specific projects more often, for example) and focus on those areas and tasks.

-- Be authentic. You can’t fake your personal brand -- not for long, anyway. The key to making it work is being honest about who you are and what you can do. You can’t get out of unwanted work just because it doesn’t fit your brand, but you can position yourself for assignments that match your strengths by focusing on what you do best.

-- Adopt a unique style. You want to stand out, so do something different. It can be simple, or as challenging as developing a reputation for volunteering for the toughest assignments.

Snoopy, the memorable “Peanuts” cartoon pet, sat at the entrance of his doghouse and lamented, “Yesterday I was a dog. Today I’m a dog. Tomorrow I’ll probably still be a dog. SIGH. There’s so little hope for advancement.”

Don’t be like Snoopy and sit there droopy-eyed. Go out and make something happen.

I constantly preach about the importance of nurturing your network, but there’s one very important element of our networks that often takes a backseat to the business contacts we build. That is our invaluable network of friends.

For so many of us, focusing our attention on our work life is a high priority. That’s a noble goal, but what finally happens when we’re off the clock?

We need to concentrate our efforts on developing a network of friends. I can honestly say that my friends have saved me from making big mistakes, celebrated my victories and made difficult days better by just being there. And they know I will return the favor.

I have dear lifelong friends, business friends, neighborhood friends, golf friends, office friends, friends where I worship. And so on. I confide my deepest secrets to some. I ask for advice from several. I enjoy activities with others. All have impacted my life in important ways.

Great literature, movies and music lyrics are full of references to friendship. James Taylor reminded us that when you need a helping hand, “you’ve got a friend.” Bette Midler gave us a long list of reasons why “you’ve got to have friends.” One of the most successful and longest-running television shows of all time was “Friends,” which will probably continue to run in syndication when the stars are old and gray.

Henry David Thoreau, one of America’s most famous naturalists and philosophers, gave the following definition of friendship: “A friend is one who incessantly pays us the compliment of expecting from us all the virtues, and who can appreciate them in us ... Friendship is never established as an understood relation. It is a miracle which requires constant proof. It is an exercise of the purest imagination and of the rarest faith.”

Friendship is so important that we celebrate it several times during the year. February is International Friendship Month, and Old Friends, New Friends Week is the third week of May. Congress declared a U.S. holiday in honor of friends by a proclamation in 1935. Since then, Friendship Day is celebrated every year on the first Sunday of August (it was Aug. 6 this year). And September is Friendship Month.

It might not be a Hallmark holiday, but Friendship Month is still a great time to go over some tips on how to build, nurture and maintain great friendships.

Be open -- Share your feelings honestly. Open communication is important in building lasting friendships and an unwavering support system. And don’t forget to tell your customers how much you appreciate them.

Be receptive -- No one is perfect, and there may be times when you don’t agree with your friends’ choices. Show them that you care and respect them. It’s OK to share your opinions, because both sides need to practice acceptance. The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail and not his tongue.

Make friendships a priority -- No matter how busy you get, don’t forget your friends. Friendship is a responsibility -- not an opportunity. Reconnect with old friends and continue to make new ones. Make friendship a habit, and you will always have friends.

Listen -- Part of being a true friend is listening to their problems and concerns without interrupting or always trying to fix things. Sometimes all they want is a receptive ear. Everyone hears what you say. Friends listen to what you say. Best friends listen to what you don’t say.

Express gratitude -- Don’t forget to show your appreciation for your friends and let them know how much their friendship means to you. One close friend is worth more than 1,000 acquaintances.

Considering all these points, ask yourself this: If you were another person, would you like to be a friend of yours?

Mackay’s Moral: A good friend is someone who thinks you’re a good egg even though you’re slightly cracked.