this little light of mine..

When I entered the blogging world I quickly discovered The Shine Project (TSP) run by Ashley Lemieux. 

Ashley, creator of The Shine Project

Simply put, this is what the "About" section of The Shine Project says: 

In the dictionary, Shine is defined as:

1. to give forth or glow with light

2. to be bright with reflected light; glisten; sparkle.

3. to appear with brightness or clearness.

4. to excel

I believe that all of us possess talents, skills, and abilities that can be used to literally change the world. 

I believe that stepping out of your comfort zone to do hard things is what gives meaning and happiness to life.

This is what The Shine Project is all about:

Going out of your comfort zone to bring light to those who need hope.

The Shine Project emulates love, sacrifice, and 

CHANGE.

I couldn't agree more. After reading more about all that's been done by this project, I quickly jumped on board. My first move as an advocate of The Shine Project? Order Pass It Forward cards. 

a little card with BIG power!

After patiently waiting, I finally received my cards in the mail yesterday! I'm so beyond excited to be able to share this with all of you and with whoever receives these cards. 

How amazing is this idea? It seems like a fairly simple idea to dream up, but I'm so impressed with Ashley and TSP for putting all of it in motion. For turning such a simple idea into something that has the potential to be really BIG. Imagine if everyone reading this had 1 card. And each card was passed on to another person, and another, all through acts of kindness. How much better would our world be if we did this everyday? If we could simply type in a number to find out how a simple act of ours has effected so many? This could CHANGE everything. I'm not naive. I don't think this project will end hunger, cure the sick, and find world peace. But is wrong to hope for it? These little acts of kindness are change nonetheless. 

As usual, when I find something I love, I obsess over it. So I ordered 30 cards thinking I'll fly through them. Now I feel a bit more pressure. I consider myself a kind person...but am I only kind to others if it benefits me? Do I only perform acts of kindness to people that I really care about? 

I feel myself being tested, and I'm glad. Like the website says, The Shine Project is about "going out of your comfort zone to bring light to those who need hope". I'm attempting to step out of my comfort zone and I encourage you to do the same. 

Join The Shine Project at myshineproject.com. Find out about the Pass It Forward project here.

If you'd like to purchase Pass It Forward cards (pack of 10 cards for $2.50), you can do so here. Or let me know, and I'll be happy to send you one of mine. See how they work at spreadtheshine.com.

Go ahead, let the world see you SHINE. :)