"While I don't think I can do everything that needs to be done, I can certainly do my share."
And isn't that really the key? While each of us can't solve all of the world's problems on our own, or build Rome over night, we are each capable of doing our own small things to create change and when all of the changes are combined, the small things can make a difference.
Tired of all of the online bullying and negativity on the internet today, one individual has decided to change things up.
"I had just turned 30 when I thought of this idea, wanting to do something more meaningful with my life," says Nate St. Pierre, head of dropalovebomb.com's founding organization ItStartsWithUs. "It's about small, simple actions that require minimum effort and have maximum output."
Basically, when St. Pierre sees someone online in need of a kind word, he gathers together a team to lend support in a grand way.
Every week, roughly 1,500 people (all members of ItStartsWithUs) are notified of a new "mission," which in previous months has targeted everyone from a man visiting his dying mother to an artist slowly going blind. Then, on a pre-determined day, team members converge on the comments section of the chosen person's blog. In each of the cases, the (target) person is lost in darkness and despair. It's often these people who turn to the internet for sympathy and understanding but instead they can become the target of hurtful strangers during their most vulnerable time.
"There are so many people out there who don't know that they're loved or supported, and who don't realize that tomorrow will be a better day," says one team member.
"Before, if I read about someone going through a hard time, I would've just overlooked it; but now I leave a message, send an email, send letters, send gifts... People are always talking about change and making the world a better place. This is how it starts." ... With just a small gesture, as simple as an email or even a smile or a pat on the back.
We may not all want to jump online to offer words of encouragement to a stranger but if you look around, there are plenty of things we can each do to "do our share."
