Hope everyone was able to share some inspiration during last week’s mission.
If you are looking for some inspiration this week, be sure to watch the video above.
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The Inspiration
What happens when you leave a megaphone in the middle of New York City with the message “Say Something Nice” attached to it? Check out this video - http://bit.ly/p0QgPT.
The Mission
This week, take 15 minutes to say something nice in a unique way that amplifies your voice.
Each week we tend to do something under the radar to lift or inspire someone.
Not this week.
Find a creative way to say something nice while being heard!
Share your creativity and let us know what you came up with- http://bit.ly/nAhD6w
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I’ve been wondering what my first post should be here at ItStartsWith.Us, but tonight I found something in me that I wanted to share.
For awhile now, I waited to get everything just right for the first post- I went back and forth on a theme, topic, short vs. long post, funny vs. serious tone, etc., etc.
But right now, none of that matters- because I want to share a deeper side of me with all of you.
After seeing a lot of people in the community sharing some of their most personal stories with complete strangers, I felt it was time I wrote from the heart without any personality or ego attached- just as is.
Tonight, I found out one of the dearest people I hold close has to get a last minute heart procedure on Friday. This is the person I was going to do my “Thank Your Supporter” mission for tonight, card in hand, ready to write how much I truly appreciated their support.
But right now I feel foolish, being tough on myself on why I waited so long to tell them how much I appreciated them being a part of my life, for all their care and support, and for them giving me the space to be me (and for not being afraid to set me straight when I get out of line 
We have an opportunity to do this everyday- to thank someone, to tell someone you love them, to brighten someone’s day with just a smile or hug.
Don’t wait for the moment to come where you start questioning yourself with whys.
You can create your own point of inflection at any time… and the beautiful thing is you can do something about it right here and now.
So that is what I want to share in my first post with ISWU- stop waiting.
There’s no perfect time or situation to be you. You’re at your best right now.
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I have no clue what I am going to do about work, about other life stuff, etc.… all I know is to stop waiting and do my best to support and love this person- and make sure I go out of my way to do it with other people in my life.
And at the end of the day, all the “tough” stuff at work and in our personal lives has a strange way of figuring itself out.
Sometimes the really tough part is to stop waiting and start doing.
Much love to every single one of you who make ISWU a possibility,
Josh
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For just over two years now (105 weeks, to be exact) I have been the leader of the ItStartsWith.Us team. My goal was to assign one mission per week that would give all of us the chance to make a positive impact in the lives of those around us – to enable us all to change the world.
And change the world we have, friends. Two years later, the team has grown from 18 people to around 5,000 people, in close to 100 countries. We’ve impacted hundreds of thousands of lives, if not millions. We’ve changed thousands of lives. We’ve even saved a few.
And we will continue to do so, but not with me at the helm. I have personally attempted (and almost always completed) each and every weekly mission I have assigned for the past 105 weeks . . . except the last one. I realized today that I had completely forgotten about it. And while that’s not a terrible offense, it does show that my attention to this project has slipped greatly, as I’m sure you’ve noticed in the sporadic mission assignments and blog postings so far this year.
I am no longer giving this project the attention it deserves, and so it is time for me to move on. ItStartsWith.Us needs an engaged, enthusiastic leader at the helm – someone who is eager to jump in every day, interact with members, construct activities that change lives, and build this project into something greater than it is today.
I’d like to give one of you that opportunity.
I still plan to own ItStartsWith.Us, but I am now officially looking for someone to take over leadership of the project. I want someone who loves the idea of guiding thousands of people to make a difference all over the world. Someone who is savvy enough both on the social/web end and the business end to build the technology and make the connections necessary to take ISWU to the next level. I’ll still be around, and I’ll function as a mentor to whomever decides to accept this challenge. If you like sports analogies, you could say that I’m the team owner, and you’re the coach/GM. 
So if you’re interested in this opportunity, just send me an email (nate [at] itstartswith.us) and tell me why you want the job, and why you’d be good at it. I’ll start talking to candidates within the next week.
If you have any reaction or comments to this announcement, feel free to respond in the comment section below.
In an odd twist of fate, I decided to clean out my backpack before I sent this message out, and I happened to find the original planning docs for ISWU, and a copy of the very first email I sent out to the 18 founding members. I didn’t even know I still had that stuff. You’ll see a picture of it at the top of this post.
I’d like to thank each and every one of you so much for being a part of this truly amazing team. I know that our goal is to change others’ lives, but I want you to know that you all have changed mine. I would not be the person I am today if not for the love and grace I’ve been shown by so many members of this team, and for that I am eternally grateful.
It’s been an honor to serve as your leader for the first two years of the project, and I hope we’ll continue to serve alongside each other under the new leadership.
Much love,
Nate
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Every once in a while, while going about the business of ItStartsWith.Us, I am fortunate enough to witness a singular ray of light that breaks through the clouds and illuminates who we are and why we are here. Yesterday was one of those days. I was going through the ISWU community forum, where people can share the results of the missions I’ve assigned. The last mission was “Use the Technology” (in a partnership with the awesome Sparked.com), where we were directed to use technology in a way to make a difference for someone in our lives. Check out what one of our members had to say:
At first, when I saw this mission, I thought to myself something along the lines of “Agh. How am I going to do that?!” Then I got a text message- It was one of my friends thanking me again for a cupcake I gave him right before his last Advanced Placement test, and telling me to have a good weekend. It was above what he had to do, and it was sweet- definitely made me feel good.
Anyway, I was still struggling to apply this mission, and yesterday I was speaking with an underclassman who I “adopted” as my younger sister. We’re both in the marching band, and we both play instruments in male-dominated sections. Because she was unable to have a section “Older sister”, and I had no section “Little sister”, I just kind of adopted her and we’d ride the band bus together. Anyway, yesterday she gave me her tumblr link (I didn’t give her mine, because it’s about a lot of personal stuff with depression, self injury and suicide, that some of my best friends don’t know about) and I saw a post she had written a long time ago about struggling with herself because she had/has a friend who struggles with depression, self injury, suicidal thoughts/attempts.
I messaged her and told her that we didn’t have to talk about it at all, and that I respected her privacy, but if she ever needed to talk to me about any of that kind of stuff, I was always there for her. We ended up talking for a while, with plans to hang out in the future so I could kind of give her a better idea of where I was coming from with that whole situation.
I really hoped it helped/helps her and at least makes her feel a little supported.
And, well, can you tell? I’m seeing a theme here: These missions are helping me, too. [Thank you, Nate!!!]
After speaking with her, I went to my room and threw out my razors. I put a small index card with her name written on it in the altoids case I used to keep them in, and put the altoids case back in it’s usual spot. I will do this for her, maybe even myself.
I was happily stopped in my tracks after reading this yesterday. Seeing the amazing things that can happen as the result of a small suggestion and just a few minutes of effort is one of the true joys of being a part of the ItStartsWith.Us team. If you’d like to join us, you can sign up at the top of the page on the left.
Photo Credit: respres
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“That’s a crap load of love.”
So stated a friend of mine via Google Chat after she had taken a look at our latest page, detailing everything that Love Drop has given away since its launch in January. And you know what? She’s right. I wasn’t the one who built this page – it was my business partner J. Money. So even I wasn’t prepared for the sheer volume of the gifts the Love Drop community has given to these deserving families.
Over $30,000 worth of cash, goods and services freely given away in just four months . . . all using the principle of micro-giving. It’s easy for me to get lost in the business operations of this project, because it’s a full-time job. But every once in a while I take a giant step back and look out over what we’re all accomplishing together, and I’m blown away. I hear my mind shouting at me, “We’re really doing it!”
Most of the people on our team give $5 per month. That’s it. For just five dollars a month they get to be a part of a caring community that literally changes lives every single month. They get to see exactly where their money is going, too. In fact, not only where, but when as well. Every time someone contributes to Love Drop, they get a detailed account, both written and through our web video coverage, within four weeks of giving. We literally show up on the family’s doorstep and shower them with anything our community can think of to help them along on their journey.
This project is incredibly powerful. We all have the cabability of making such a huge impact with such a small effort.
And we’re doing it. Thank you all so much for being a part of it.
And hey, if you like what we’re doing, share it with your friends. As you’ve now seen, every dollar counts.
“Like” Love Drop on Facebook
Follow Love Drop on Twitter
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I was just going through some photos for Love Drop, and came across one I’d never noticed before. This is the exact moment that we told the Rewolinski family that the Love Drop team had raised the necessary $13,000 for them to obtain a service dog for their two autistic boys.
And we get to travel the country, doing something like this for one family every month. Awesome. Have a joyful Wednesday, y’all.
(If you want to see more on this story, you can watch the final Drop video, or check out the whole story.)
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See the little boy walking down the street? He’s creating a world in his mind as he goes. Nobody else can see that world, but it’s okay . . . because he can.
This is what life is like for some people. Authors, artists, musicians, architects, designers, and the like. A five-minute walk can generate so many ideas it feels like your head may explode.
Look at what exists. Add to it. Subtract from it. Combine elements, then rearrange them. Twist them. Add in some abstract thought. Synthesize new patterns from seemingly unconnected systems.
Create something out of the nothing that existed before.
I was that little boy. Still am, in fact. I see things like that when I walk down the street. I build systems in my mind. But here’s the secret – and this is why the video struck me so deeply – it’s as simple as using your imagination.
I understand how trite that sounds. It’s something you say to children. But when children grow up, no one is encouraging them to use their imaginations anymore, and they forget all about it. And inside their minds where once incredible ideas were bubbling up, now there are only thoughts of money and work and bills and taxes and electronics and a vague idea of “getting stuff” and “being successful,” and they fall into line of what’s expected of them, and they never again dream of a fantastic alternate reality where the world is truly different and truly better.
The amazing part of all of this is that it’s right there in front of them – it’s ripe for the taking. People have so much more power than they think they do, but they don’t understand that they’re actually allowed to use it.
Sometimes when I get in the shower, I pretend it’s a personal spaceship. I close the curtain (shut the hatch), turn on the faucets (light up the engine), tilt the soap and shampoo bottles (adjust the controls), tap on the wall in a geometric pattern (set the course), and finally pull out the shower handle (engage, a la Star Trek TNG). I honestly do something like this 25% of the time I get in the shower. You’ll almost certainly dismiss this as silly, and silly it may be. BUT, allowing this kind of make-believe to flow throughout my brain during the day trains it to see things not as they are, but as they could be. With all this practice, it becomes much easier to look at an existing system in the real world and see not only what it is, but what it could become.
And that’s where the magic of using your imagination translates into real-world impact. Don’t worry if it’s silly. Don’t worry if it’s fanciful. Don’t worry if it’s not realistic. Cars, airplanes, spaceships, computers and cell phones were all of these things until someone thought enough of them to turn them into reality.
Building something new has to start somewhere. It has to start with someone. And there is absolutely no reason that somewhere shouldn’t be in your head, and that someone shouldn’t be you. Conjure up all the crazy ideas you want. Be silly. Be ridiculous. Have fun. You’ll forget about most of it at the end of each day. But you will constantly be planting small seeds in your head, and one day soon some of them will sprout into ideas that will take root in your mind and won’t let go. And when that happens, you will have the drive to work hard enough to turn those ideas into reality.
And when those ideas turn into reality, you will have the power to change the world.
Don’t be afraid.
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I’m always talking about changing the world in 15 minutes a week. It’s kind of my thing, right? “Change the World” written on my palm, always rockin’ the “One Love” beanie . . . you may think it’s just my hook to get people interested. And you’d be right.
But if you think it’s only something nice to say, or just a punchy tagline, take a look at what we’ve been able to accomplish with such a simple idea. It’s real, guys. And it changes lives.
I began this project in April 2009 with the goal of demonstrating that love actually is all around us, and that the small things do matter – in fact, sometimes they truly are the most important things.
Now, just two years later, ItStartsWith.Us has 5,000 participating members in 100 countries, not including the two spin-off projects. Love Bomb has 2,000 members. And the brand-new Love Drop already has 1,000 members. Every one of these people spend just a tiny amount of time, effort, or money to make a positive impact on the lives of the people around them. But consistent actions like these, done over time, and especially as part of a larger team with a common goal, can produce some pretty amazing results. I’d like to share some of them with you below.
I’d also like to thank you all once again for allowing me to lead this tremendous group of people who care. As a direct result of your efforts, we’ve had millions of people touched by love, with many of them inspired to do the same for others. Thousands of individuals have been changed forever by your actions. And along the way, even if you didn’t know about it, you have quite literally saved dozens of lives. And those are just the ones I know about. I’m sure there are more.
This team doesn’t get a lot of publicity, and there’s never much fanfare, which was how it was envisioned right from the beginning. We just quietly go about the business of changing the world.
Here’s what we do, as written by . . . you.
ItStartsWith.Us
Site: www.ItStartsWith.Us
[visit site to join]
(2010 Year in Review coming soon!)
“I enjoy being a part of the ItStartsWith.Us team because of the fantastic people who make up the group. Speaking to ItStartsWith.Us members, you’ll notice their unfailing love for others. Diversity, friendship, and coming together for common good are all values maintained by members. They respond to need not only in their family and friends but also in strangers. They go the extra mile to write words of encouragement to those who are suffering far away from them and also within the group. And they show this kindess all in a quiet manner, without seeking great recognition. In this collection of inspiring leaders, you’ll find an accepting community who will aid you in your journey to help others.”
“In my signature box, on my art room wall, occasionally as a screen saver, and quite possibly a soon to be tattoo, you will see a quote by Martin Buber that motivates me to be thoughtful and considerate in my day to day.
Buber’s quote reads, “I think no human being can give more than this. Making life possible for the other, if only for a moment” and for me It Starts With Us works just as this quote does.ISWU is a reminder to put into practice the love and compassion I want to live. It is a 15 minute task that bleeds into the whole week and inspires me to go beyond those 15 minutes. I have my ugly moments, I have said and done things I am not proud of and need to work at keeping my heart open and compassion flowing. It Starts With Us is a genius way to remind ourselves, through ACTION, of what the smallest act of love can do for ourselves and the world around us.
I am also motivated by how it can spread. It’s Wildfire baby! Many thanks to Nate who put the energy behind the spark. Incredible, innovative, heartwarming… and just plain awesome.”
“It Starts With Us has offered me a structured yet completely individual
opportunity to give back to others. When you join the community and read
the forums and talk to the people who are part of this amazing group, you
realise the huge effect it has on your own life and the lives of others.
It Starts With Us has given me the opportunity to give back in short sharp
bursts not only fulfilling my own daily dose of that ‘warm and fuzzy
feeling’ but in the process I have been able to satisfy the needs of
others; whether that be in the shape of a heartfelt note on someone’s blog
or sending a simple ‘I Love You’ to a friend.”
“I love being a part of It Starts With Us. This community opens up so many opprotunities to help people in the smallest ways. I would never have thought that in just fifteen minutes I could change someone’s day for the better. ISWU has really given me a chance to think about others before myself and come up with ways – big and small – to better my community. I love how open everyone is to new ideas and how creative everyone is. We really all are part of something bigger than ourselves in ISWU and I’m proud to be a part of it.”
“You know that moment, when you’re crushed in your own life, everything is at risk, and you look to the side of you and see that 14 year old girl who has lost her best friend to drugs, or that military wife who couldn’t take one more day of the PTSD of her beloved husband, or you find that single dad who feels beaten about the head by the challenges of raising his kids alone. And you find that your hand reaches out to their hand, you find your heart fill up with a deep love and you share words with them, listen, hug them, staying that extra ten seconds that change you from broken to human, and you go back into your world knowing you’ve given them peace, and love and they know they’re not alone in their struggles. THAT is why I am involved with Nate and ItStartsWithUs. Because my life is reeling from traumas and challenges, but I am grateful to be alive and I’m grateful to have the strength to share sorrow or laughter with someone who is also in the dregs of life’s challenges.”
“For me, I want to see a change in the world, and I want to be a part of that change by the way I live my life. ISWU challenges me to do things I might not normally do that really do make a difference in the lives of people everywhere. It provides small but important ways to show love to others, and that is something that I want my life to always be about.”
“10 years ago, I wanted to die. I didn’t want to actually kill myself, but
I would hope that while driving I would lose control of the car and be in
fatal accident.Now I know that I was suffering from severe undiagnosed depression. At the
time, the thought never occurred to me. All I knew is that I was
constantly unhappy, I didn’t want to be around people and all I did want
was to sleep and play online.Unfortunately, it never occurred to my friends or family either. My
parents decided I was lazy and sponging off them and constantly nagged me
to get a job. My friends decided I was lazy and enjoying living off my
parents money too much to bother joining them in the real world.It was a group of girls, then a man who has now become my fiancée who
pulled me through this. It was the kind words of strangers who lived on
the other side of the world that did what my friends and family could not.I joined ISWU to help those in situations like the one I was in. Never
underestimate the power of a few kind and understanding words, even those
from total strangers to help lift a mood. It’s a relief to me to see that
there is something out there to give a boost to others who are suffering.I know this isn’t a cure and the affects may last as little a few hours,
but I know from experience that could be the difference between another
miserable day with dreams of dying to finally end the pain and deciding to
get help or that death is not the answer.”
“I have recently joined ISWU team and the whole ISWU community. Pre-ISWU I had the notion that there is no one good left on this earth. I felt like we were all in this purely for ourselves, who cares how others are feeling. Yes, someone has to change that, but who will? Who will take the role of the savor of our dying race? Someone, anyone, but not me. I don’t have the power. A 14 year old can’t change the world. All we’re good for is sitting on the couch complaining about the poor state of it. The change comes from the grownups.
But through this, I was shown how wrong I was. Somehow, by some random act of fate, I stumbled upon this website. I subscribed, thinking it was a waste of time, but hey, I was bored. When I read the first ATeam mission, I felt power. I felt the power that I could change someone’s life, for the better. Like even if no one else does, I can be the one person who at least attempts to brighten others day.
I have had few and far between nice things done for me, so I know how it fills your heart up with a sense of well being, a sense of happiness. I wanted to pass that on. I wanted more people to experience this feeling. Through this, I found even minor things, like 2 dollars a day, or telling your family you love them, or even opening up to someone new gives them that heart-in-the-clouds feeling. I could all of a sudden change the world. Who cares if I’m not yet 18? I am powerful. I can change the world through small actions. Yes, once I get a job, it will be easier to make a difference, but until then, I still can.
I have a renewed sense of worth, a renewed sense in faith for the human race. Everyday, I will make a difference in someone’s world. I will complain less and act more. No longer will I sit idle. I want to thank ISWU for giving me that kick in the rear. For telling me it wasn’t impossible.”
“I love being part of this team because it has made me learn more about myself as a person. I also love being part of the ISWU team because it has shown me how truly good people are, and basically restored my faith in humanity. When I joined ISWU I was, sadly, suicidal. I figured that I might do any little thing to help people before I died. ISWU showed me how much people care and that hope is not lost. So, thank you for allowing me to be part of this.”
“ISWU has been a huge morale booster for me, it has given me the means to help people with such little effort and so much in return. I have and will continue recommending this to people as I feel it is a brilliant project.
Only 15 minutes out of your week at most and you help someone else as well as helping yourself, whats not to like about it? So what if you aren’t noticed? The lack of being noticed is out-weighed tenfold by the gratitude you give to others, in turn reflecting on yourself.”
“If you can’t feed a hundred people, then just feed one.” – Mother Teresa
“I immediately knew when I read about ISWU that I wanted to be a part of it because it HAS to start with us. With one person. One act, one smile is contagious. As Nate has proven over these past months. I’m glad to chip in a bread crumb here and there to make something happen.”
Love Drop
Site: www.LoveDrop.us
[visit site to join]
“It’s been a pretty amazing month watching how a Love Drop comes together. The guys that run the organization, Nate and J Money, are not only tremendously full of heart, but they are funny, sweet and really great to be around. I love the concept of Love Drop – how a little bit can go a long way – even a donation of a buck a month can do great things. I’m kind of a Love Drop fan girl now.”
http://thismomswired.com/2011/03/more-drips-in-the-bucket-love-drop-style/
“In the end, I saw a group of people gather together to do something really amazing for Katie who has done so much for other people throughout her life without asking for much in return. We came together, we made a difference, we changed a life by flooding it with love.”
http://www.thestilettomom.com/2011/03/30/and-then-the-love-bomb-dropped-and-it-was-massive
“Over the past few months the community of people who love Katie has come together to make this Love Drop very special for her. From sharing frequent flier miles so her best friends could come to Dallas to surprise her, to sending gifts, cooking food to stock her freezer, shopping for her kids, gathering donations, and traveling many many miles, the people behind this drop were able to give back just a tiny bit of the love Katie shows to everyone who knows her. It was a very heartwarming thing to take part in, and truly a blessing to give.”
http://ericasays.com/3715/we-schemed-and-then-we-dropped-some-love
“I like these organizations because you can begin to get into the habit of giving to others and yet the commitment moneywise is negligible or non-existent. Any age can participate and I can see this appealing to teenagers and others who are unable to give in other events. Amazingly, the effect of these projects could bring hope to each of those affected and they are more likely to pay it forward themselves. I think we can all agree that could truly change the world.”
http://mundanemagic.com/2011/03/be-part-of-a-love-drop.html
Love Bomb
Site: www.DropALoveBomb.com
[visit site to join]
“The idea behind this is genuine. I have never been a part of something so sincere and sweet in my life. I read the blog of the person we are “bombing” and my heart goes out to them. I then read what everyone responds to and my faith in humanity is restored. So many giving people are willing to give their time to someone who they dont know. the overwhelming feeling of love that these people must be feeling after their bomb is amazing. I can not even accurately express how phenomenal this experience is.”
“I am the recipient of a Love Bomb. My older sister had committed suicide and the day that I found out I wrote every feeling that came to mind on my blog. I was struggling. I felt very alone in my thoughts. Nate and his team found my blog and then flooded it with over 400 comments from people all over the world. They understood my grief and left so many positive comments. I was floored. Here were people I have never met offering me such support and an outpooring of compassion. It made my journey through my grief just a bit easier. I will forever be grateful to Nate and It Starts With Us for taking the time to show me that the world still cares.”
“I love bomb people because once upon a time I was suicidal and was saved by the kind words of one person. If one person can do that, think of what hundreds could do.”
“Margaret Mead is quoted as saying “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” As a girl obsessed with the contagious spread of positive emotion, I have always believed this but saw it firsthand when I dropped my first Love Bomb. A few mouseclicks and heartfelt words from around the globe have restored hope, offered comfort, and changed lives. I’ve seen it. The ItStartsWith.Us team is exactly the kind of “group of thoughtful, committed citizens” Ms. Mead was hoping for.”
There are many, many more notes like this, and I’m sorry I can’t include them all. But I would like to thank each and every one of you for being a part of this team and working together to change the world . . . in just 15 minutes a week.
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Yep, we need one of those old-school animated GIFs of the construction dude. Major site overhaul underway right now, so please excuse any craziness you see.
Catch ya’ll on the flip side…
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