ItStartsWith.Us: Changing the World in 15 Minutes a Week

Sometimes when I’m driving and have a few extra minutes to get to my destination (yes, it actually does happen sometimes), I’ll turn onto a road I’ve never taken just to see where it goes. I’ve found new running paths, hidden restaurants and shortcuts I never knew existed. It’s true that I’ve also gotten completely lost, but I learned where shortcuts don’t exist so on those occasions I just call it a detour.

For me, twitter is the online version of taking the long way home. In the car I take roads and online I follow links. In both instances, my goal is to find what I didn’t know I was looking for.

A recent series of clicks led me to something I know is going to change my life – and the lives of so many others. I don’t know how I got there but I found myself staring in amazement at ItStartsWith.Us. As I read about ISWU and its founder, Nate St. Pierre (who also happens to be a Milwaukeean), I was so inspired by the concept. As I thought about the impact of a global community of people committed to spending 15 minutes a week changing the world, I was physically moved and immediately went running to let my body catch up to my racing mind.

To briefly summarize Nate’s brilliant vision, the mission of ItStartsWith.Us is to make a positive impact in the lives of the people around us. Thousands of people around the world have signed up to participate in small weekly “missions” to make a difference. Members communicate with teammates through a private forum and contribute by adding ideas and success stories. Those who join can choose to remain as anonymous as they want.

You can visit the Web site to see the ISWU 2009 accomplishments, but I want to share a few examples that I thought about as I ran that day:

Return the favor:

Has someone made a difference in your life recently? Think about what they did for you and how it made you feel, and then go and be that difference for someone else. Of course it doesn’t have to be exactly the same, but the point is to reflect on ways that you have been impacted by someone, and then pass on a variation of that action to someone else, so they can experience the same benefit that you did.

Senior citizens:

Sometime between now and next Wednesday night, seek out a senior citizen you know and have a good conversation with them. Ask about their life, find out who they are, and listen for any wisdom they’ve gained. Simply engage with them and see what happens. Let’s try to pull out something beneficial to share with the group. (Oh, and if you are a senior citizen, do the reverse – seek out a teenager.)

What I find so inspiring is that it’s not a matter of spending money or making a grand gesture - the goal is to pay forward the kindness that is all around us. Whether they knew it or not at the time, there have been so many wonderful people in my life who have provided the kind words I needed or pointed me in the right direction when I couldn’t take the first step and I can’t think of a better way to honor them than to pass it on to someone else.

I’m looking forward to what the future holds for ISWU and encourage you to visit the Web site to learn more. I sincerely hope this blog is one in a series of random links that leads you to ItStartWith.Us, because I’ve been exactly where you are and can guarantee that if your next click is this one, it’s going to change your life: ItStartsWith.Us homepage.

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