There are certain inspirational sayings you hear over and over again that aim to inspire us semi-adult individuals into embracing our prospective fields and becoming mature, independent and proactive members of society. “Do your best”; “follow your dreams”; “be true to yourself.” However, one stands out above the rest as so tired and cliché that it begs the question of why it’s still being used: “Go out there and change the world.”

I think I was seven years old the first time I heard that saying and that may have been the last time it actually held poignant meaning. As something is repeated throughout most of your life it tends to lose its impact, especially when you’re in a place where changing the world doesn’t seem all that possible, realistic or even a priority. My freshman year wasn’t about pinning down what legacy I was going to leave to my children and grandchildren. It was about making friends, navigating Front Street to determine which frat parties were the best and trying to figure out what class was the easiest to get that elusive “P” credit.

Even this past summer as I was doing all things public relations-related in my internship, I was pretty much just trying to find my niche in the working world. I appreciated the opportunity to work full-time in my field, but appreciated the two years of college ahead of me even more. Now that I’m at the halfway point of my college career and that much closer to actually going into the foreboding “real world” so many before us have ventured into, I feel as if the pressure is at an all-time high for us to go out there and completely alter the world. And that pressure is more than a little overwhelming.

It seems that for as long as we’ve been goaded into changing the world, we’ve been expected to make some monumental mark on mankind right when we enter into whatever field we devoted our time to studying. And if that is the one goal we’ve set out for ourselves to accomplish, the majority of us are most likely not going to achieve it. Widespread change requires time and the efforts of hundreds, maybe even thousands of people depending on what portion of society you are targeting. I’m not saying that we don’t have the ability to truly transform society; there’s no question that our generation has the capability to change the world. Our generation has already made great strides toward changing the world. However, we shouldn’t feel pressured to make such a monumental impact at this point in our lives.

I believe that everybody is capable of changing the world — but in a smaller, more personal way. All that requires is living a good life. If each and every one of us made the resolution starting now and carrying into our lives after graduation to living a life of dignity marked by honest, generous and diligent day-to-day interactions with the people around us, the world would be changed. It would be a wholly better place for us. Why is it necessary to reach for the stars when real change starts with a simple, kind word or action? We don’t need to seek wealth, fame, fortune or the next big social media app to transform society. All it takes is being a decent human being and making sure your personal impact on the world is something to be proud of.

Those are the kinds of changes we are capable of making at ages 10, 20, 40 and beyond. And those are ones that will never stop transforming the people around us who will hopefully follow our example. So while we should always do our best, follow our dreams and strive for greatness, we should keep in perspective what our individual greatness can be if we start small and work our way up to changing the world.