I spent 10 minutes today aimlessly scrolling through social media— not necessarily really looking, but just passing the time. In this short amount of time, I came across so much negativity and went on a “delete” spree. Women berating other women for the type of shirt they are wearing or calling someone out because of a rumor. Other people simply advertising how intoxicated they were over the weekend.

As I was deleting, something from one of the audiobooks I’m listening to popped into my mind. "You Are A Badass" by Jen Sincero is not only my first audiobook, but also my favorite. In one section, she talks about how people that act out and are rude or mean are generally feeling lousy in another area of their life. Although I am a big believer in being responsible for your actions, this part of the book stuck with me.

Seeing these people on social media be so rude and negative to one another makes me think about how their lives must be lacking in one aspect or another. Sure, there are just generally horrible people out there, but I would like to think that not everyone is an angry little cactus at all times. For the most part, we are good. So what could be so bad in their life that’s causing other humans to lash out?

Of course, bullying takes place in real life just as much as it does in social media. I was bullied all through school and became introverted because of it, but others' fates are much worse. What drives some people to lash out with negativity? Frankly, I am not truly friends with the majority of my social media friends, so I don’t know what is going on in their lives. I see a lot of struggle on social media and there are times when I ignore it — not my problem. But what happens when we reach out?

I have started messaging people and dropping a compliment, which can definitely be weird from a stranger, but I have received a lot of positive feedback from it. I witness too much negativity in the world to not strive to spread positivity and joy. It takes five minutes a day to reach out to five people. I know that they may not continue on and “pay it forward,” but I know that I made someone smile for a brief instant.

Maybe I won’t change the world this way, but I can certainly change the world for that person -– and you can, too. I challenge you to message five strangers this week and tell them to have a good day or drop a compliment on that selfie they posted. It may feel weird at first, but we are all responsible for spreading a little positivity.