March 11, 2008

A little while back I had lunch with three college students who told me they didn’t believe they would ever be able to make a difference in their communities or the world. They were too overwhelmed by the idea of trying to Do Something and didn’t see how anyone could make a difference. It wasn’t as if they didn’t want to. It was more as if they felt they were too insignificant or powerless. I was taken aback by this discussion. Here were three energetic young people who had somehow gotten the impression that their efforts wouldn’t be worthwhile. Of course, I then proceeded to leave my sandwich alone and began sharing my own experiences with the hope that I would encourage them to get out in their world and start working on something that they cared about.

After we said our ‘goodbyes’, I left the conversation feeling as if I had given them some hope, but then, on the cab ride to the airport, I thought, “Okay, I might have just helped three people understand that their efforts will be worthwhile, and that their efforts are needed, but, if these three bright, young people feel this way, how many others are out there just like them?” (Actually, I didn’t really even want to think about it.) On the plane ride home, the wheels started turning for DO SOMETHING: Leave Your Mark on the World. And soon after, I sat down with Kory, handed him a stack of notes on bright orange paper and asked, “How do we turn this into a book?”

Our goal, from the beginning, has been to show people that their actions, no matter how big or how small, are necessary. And, that Doing Something in our world is relatively easy. We don’t all have to be Bono or Al Gore or Oprah to make a difference. We can make a difference in our own lives, in our own neighborhoods, in our own towns, and ultimately in our world by starting out small, by committing to making something happen and slowly working towards it. And we truly believe this. We wouldn’t have invested the amount of time in this project if we didn’t truly believe that everyone can create lasting, positive change in the world. We hope that by utilizing this website and the steps we’ve outlined in our book that you will also feel inspired and motivated to Do Something.