No matter how close or far you find yourself to events of the past days and months, if you aren’t grieving or enraged, you’re at least baffled by how we got here as a country. So many of us are consumed and distracted by our own challenges and burdens, and then reminded – of course – that a bigger crisis surrounds not only the United States but also the world. We are divided by race. By authority. By religion. By gender. Right now it’s easy to forget what unites us.

What can be done? I have the sensation of watching an accident with no power to stop it, call an ambulance, hold the hand of a victim. But we still have the power to make a positive impact.

We can avoid divisiveness over the daily, the trivial, the low hanging fruit of bad drivers or the mission to be right. We can stop being offended by whatever rubs us wrong.  We can be less demanding, more curious. Less finger pointing, more accountable. There’s no time or room for that now. These tedious conflicts are quickly becoming luxuries.

As small business owners, we can lead a small but powerful movement that chooses to assume the highest possible intention. We have to start somewhere, in small but meaningful decisions, that at the very least don’t add to the rising tension – and at the most – raise the collective consciousness of an important web of voices. Use your  power to lead, change and soothe. Not just publicly and professionally. But privately. Personally. Proactively.

Let’s do that. Starting right now. #yeswecan.