Twenty years ago I came across an idea in one of Anthony Robbins books that made good sense to me. His suggestion was that we do one small thing each day for to make things better for ourselves. I'm not sure if he added one small thing for someone else or if I did. Any way I started to do both.

The first thing I did was to immediately walk over to my bookshelf, remove the books from one small shelf, dust both them and the shelf and return them. That was it.

The next day I ended up dusting two or three shelves, and when the book case was done, I moved on to dusting and organizing the den and then the kitchen, the living room and eventually, within three months, I had cleaned and painted every room in my house and hired someone to paint the outside - I don't do ladders. The change was dramatic.

Each day after the first book shelf was dusted; I kept my head up and a smile on my face every time I left home. I was looking for an opportunity to seed a smile, a "thank you" or a compliment into the world, or to pick up a piece of garbage, help someone with their groceries, or do some other small thing that would make a difference.

As Wayne Dyer says, "When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change."

If you walk through the world focusing simply on trying to get from one place to another safely, chances are you will; however, if you are focusing on finding an opportunity to do a small thing that will make a difference, chances are you'll find lots of opportunities...And those small things, I guarantee will make a big difference not only in the lives of the people you touch, but they will have an even bigger impact on your life.

Last week I confessed to a group of high school students that although this exercise had had a powerful impact on my life for months after I cleaned that first book shelf, eventually I let it the idea slide and, try as I had, I never again found the necessary commitment to start again. In fact I have tried unsuccessfully several times over the past few months.

The important thing I began to realize was to document each day's successes. I also began to think it would be helpful to have a few people making the same commitment with me.

After my presentation, three students in the audience agreed to make the "One Small Thing" commitment with me until the end of the month. We report in every day by email.

I won't name my three compatriots in case they slip, but I'll face the music one way or the other. That said, I can tell you now that after just a few days, it's already making a difference in my life.

If you'd like to join us, let me know. Email bill@ourhiddenheroes.org>. It's kinda fun.