A mindshift that I had in the last couple of years led me to start thinking in more of a big picture way, or, how my actions affect the world and the people around me.

For something as small as being attentive to my individual impact on the earth, I have been able to recognize and change some of my habits in order to decrease my negative impact on the earth.

For example, I did some research on recycling and found out that plastic grocery bags are NOT recyclable.  Apparently, the first step every recycling center takes when taking in a new load is to sort through and take out all plastic grocery bags.  I have since been able to educate my friends who were using plastic grocery bags as “trash bags” to collect their recycling, and then putting it all in the recycling bin. By educating and correcting my friends’ ways, I was able to see my impact spread and affect the big picture, further than just my individual action.

Another example of this is having a positive attitude (especially in the morning!) when interacting with people.  Interacting with grump or negative people can completely put me in a bad mood, which I then pass on to other people who I am short with.  Making a simple change such as being friendly and positive, can positively affect the big picture and stop negativity from being passed around.