Here’s a great video of kids singing, but it’s also a fantastic illustrator for what happens when you get a bunch of people who show up, do a decent job and have a few stars among them. Jared (the soloist) is clearly a talented young singer, as are a number of kids in the group. Not all of them are going to have music careers, in fact some of them are probably better at math or kickball than they are at singing. Still, they show up, sing their parts with enthusiasm and produce a video that’s had 300,000 views in 6 days.

Sometimes I work with groups who are absolutely capable of this type of virality, but can’t achieve it because one or two or twenty people refuse to show up, do their part with enthusiasm and change the world. Those groups are often the first to suggest that if they only had some rising stars or viral ideas or more funding, THEN they’d change the world. I think it would be easier to find a guitar and ask them to sing.

On a personal note, it helps that it’s one of the best songs of all time!

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could sit down, drink a cup of coffee and change the world? Well, you can in a tiny way a few times a week.

Most people don’t donate to their favorite charities because they don’t have money set aside for that purpose. Here are two easy ways to dedicate money to changing the world.

Plan A:
Visit your local coffee shop, order up your favorite beverage and when you pay for your order, pay the same amount into a little “charity savings” envelope. Consider this buying a mocha for the masses. At the end of the week, tuck the money away where it will be safe from any alternative uses you might have for it. In a month or two, you should have enough cash to plop down a nice (tax-deductible) donation.

Plan B:
Why bother with the coffee shop at all? Everytime you make yourself a cup of caffeine at home, drop a buck or two into the “charity savings.” Sit back, think of how to change the world and watch your donations grow.

Other ideas:
Don’t drink coffee? Treat your chosen cause to:

• A beer
• A movie
• Dinner
• A car payment (whoa, that’s love)
• A concert
• A round trip ticket to South America (ok, if you consider this one, just email me and I’ll go with you)