It only takes 30 seconds of watching the news or one scroll down your Twitter timeline to see that there’s a lot of flaws with the world we live in. And all it takes is one more scroll or another 30 seconds of the news in order to recognize that a lot of people aren’t happy with the world’s current state. But what happens when everyone voices their displeasure about an issue by angrily sending it out so the whole world can see it? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. That’s the problem.

Now I’m not trying to say that bringing awareness to an issue is a bad thing, but if all we ever do is bring awareness to an issue, then it’ll never get fixed. It’s so easy to point out everything wrong with our world. Anybody has the ability to point out the negatives. But the people who make a difference are the ones who recognize an issue and do something about it. Although it may seem daunting, you absolutely have the power to bring the change you want to see in the world. Regardless of how huge the issue is, every solution starts with a small first step.

For example, I hate littering. I just don’t understand why people can’t manage to get their garbage into a can. But I’ve realized that littering is never going to end if I just angrily stare at trash and think to myself that someone needs to learn to clean up their own messes. So instead, I take the extra 10 seconds to pick up that orange peel and put it in the trash can or put that empty water bottle in the recycle bin. I’ve gone from just recognizing the issue to addressing it. And the best part is now I see people behind me doing the same thing and encouraging others to follow suit.

The beauty of a ripple is that it starts with something small and then expands exponentially in size. All it takes is someone getting it started. In the same way, the best way to get a group of people together to make a change is by just simply starting with yourself. Whether it’s litter, negativity, discrimination or something else, the best way to make a change is by changing yourself. Don’t just call it out, live it out.

Next time you see an empty water bottle laying in the middle of the hallway, instead of thinking about how terrible it is to litter, pick up the trash. Next time you see someone post an opinion that’s different than yours on Twitter, instead of firing back with your own post, try to understand their point of view. The only way to break the cycle of stagnation is to take action. Pointing out problems solves nothing, but living out solutions can change everything. Go start your ripple of positivity and watch how far it goes. You might just make waves that shake the whole world up.