Feeling down? Operation Beautiful to the rescue

Passing Notes: Someone you've never met thinks you're beautiful. (Photo by Dan Merica)

Caitlin Boyle thinks you're beautiful.

Don't know her? Never even heard of her? Doesn't matter.

Boyle, 26, turned a random act of kindness into a global movement of people trying to change the world one sticky note at a time. Through her website, OperationBeautiful.com, Boyle spreads a message of hope and encouragement geared toward those who could use a self-esteem boost—and a friend.

"People need something positive in their life, no matter who they are or what country they live in," Boyle said.

Post-its go viral: Within three days of posting her first note, Boyle received 75 photos of notes much like this one. (Photo by Khari Williams)

A website was hardly on her mind when Boyle penned her first inspirational note in June last year. After a bad day working at an office job she hated, Boyle scribbled "you're beautiful" on a Post-It note and stuck it on a bathroom mirror at Valencia Community College in Florida, where she was taking night classes.

"I just wanted to do something nice for a stranger," she said.

Boyle snapped a photo of the note and blogged about it on her personal wellness site, HealthyTippingPoint.com, where she asked readers to participate by anonymously writing their own affirming words and sharing photos of their notes with fellow blog readers.

"The notes just started flooding in," Boyle said. "I had 75 notes in three days, and I just knew that this was something big and special and it deserved its own site."

OperationBeautiful.com was born. Boyle said the site now gets 100,000 total pageviews a month, and note writers from as far as Asia, Africa and the Middle East log on to share their handiwork and testimonies.

"The concept just went viral, and by September [2009] I had signed a book deal to have the concept made into a book," Boyle said.

Boyle's book, "Operation Beautiful: Transforming the Way You See Yourself One Post-it Note at a Time," published last month and was featured on the "Today" show. With her campaign receiving national media attention, Boyle has shelved her plans to pursue a career in physical therapy. She's content in her new calling and even plans to write another book.

"Operation Beautiful is my full-time job, but I love this job even more (than physical therapy)," said Boyle, who resides in Charlotte, N.C., with her husband, Kristien, and dogs, Maggie and James.

Notes pointing people to OperationBeautiful.com have even appeared on the American University campus. In the new Graduate Research Center, a recent note on a bookshelf reminded passers-by: "You are more important to the world than any textbook. YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!" Following Boyle's early lead, someone also stuck a similar note on the GRC's bathroom mirror.

Graduate student Kelly MacKenzie, 21, works in the GRC and said she endorses the message conveyed on the notes, especially for "stressed-out grad students."

"The notes kind of help people to rediscover that they are worth something," MacKenzie said.

MacKenzie is pursuing a master's degree in psychology and also works in the AU Counseling Center, where she does off-campus referrals for students. She said OperationBeautiful.com helps build a sense of purpose and community among site visitors who may be battling self-doubt.

"It helps people who kind of feel alone and feel like they can't relate to anyone. It helps them find other people," she said.

Boyle said she's heard from people who told her OperationBeautiful.com helped them during a divorce or helped stave off suicidal thoughts.

"I've always realized that everybody has a story, and everyone's story is worth listening to," Boyle said. "And I think that that's on Operation Beautiful every day, it's everyone's story. And I think that's what makes the site really special."