The goal of ItStartsWith.Us is to build a global community of individuals focused on making a positive impact in the lives of the people around them.

Each and every one of us has the ability to change the world by touching lives in this way. And when we hear more about the positive things others are doing, we become more aware of the opportunities we have to make a difference for the people around us.

I designed a charter (click on it for the full-size PDF) to help illustrate the three ways I’m doing this. Right now you’re reading the blog, and if you’re not familiar with the kind of stuff I write about, you can learn more here. I am currently working with corporate partners to build the shared services platform, which I hope to launch in early 2010. The A-Team is a quickly growing group with hundreds of members who spend 15 minutes each week to make a difference in people’s lives. If you want to see what we’ve been up to, check out the 2009 Year in Review.

These are the things I’m doing to broadcast stories about people making a positive impact, and hopefully inspire others along the way. I have some big ideas for where this project can go in the near future, once the community has a chance to build up. Eventually ItStartsWith.Us will become a true database-driven social networking site focused on positive change, with a unique set of tools for that purpose. It will open up previously blocked lines of communication among people with a common vision, and then we’ll see what we can do.

Stay tuned.

A vision without a task is but a dream,
A task without a vision is drudgery,
A vision and a task is the hope of the world.

From a church in Sussex, England c.1730