"Even if it is a very tiny act of goodness and you think no one notices. Always remember that one little act of kindness can tilt the balance of an entire situation. One little act of kindness can ripple out in countless ways that you many never know about."
This is the saying that I remembered while listening to Jay Jaboneta, Firestarter and Chief Storyteller of the Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation during his talk at Mad World 2016 which was held last January 31 at SM Mall of Asia Arena. Participated by thousands of students from the different Marketing organizations of many colleges and universities nationwide.
According to him, technology can be harnessed for social good, for change and to make a difference. But ultimately, it is still our humanity that brings about change.
He also believes in HOPE - H is for harnessing your potential, O stands for Opening your wallet, P stands for Perspiring or Taking Action, and E stands for Empowering others.
The Yellow Boat became a symbol of hope for many of the children and even grown-ups at that certain town where students need to swim a river to reach their school. The Foundation that Jay has setup grew from just a Facebook status aiming to ask for help from friends which grew when his friends started to re-post.
Bloggers started writing about it which just proves my point that bloggers are indeed one of the surest ways to make things known to as much people as possible. Traditional media may still have prestige, but if you are after the widest reach, you go for bloggers who make us of blogs and social media to its maximum potential. Usually, trad media starts to notice something when it becomes popular online.
He also said that "a candle doesn't lose anything by lighting another candle" and to remember that "The great little thing a little lamp can do which the big sun cannot do is to give light at night. It shows noone is superiors by size but by purpose. If we cannot do great things, we can do small things in a great way. Little things make a big difference to God."
Which leads us back to my favorite saying that remains my motivation ever since I started blogging. I may not be as influential yet compared to the many who started blogging when I was still minding my own business offline, however I make sure I regularly come out with a significant engagement with either an individual, brand or organization which I will eventually write about to help them get discovered by others.
I believe these numbers will eventually grow because my intentions are pure and noble. I may not be able to satisfy everyone due to my current situation where I am still in the process of learning, but I also believe that life itself should be a continuous study and a never-ending story of discovery.
Thank you for individuals like Jay Jaboneta who understands that there is a higher purpose to everything. The world is more meaningful to live in if we make others believe they have worth.
Every little effort is appreciated.
Ross is known as the Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas - An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professional by profession and a Social Media Evangelist by heart.
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