Forward We Go Together

"I guess it's hard for people who are so used to things the way they are - even if they are bad - to change. Cause they kind of give up. And when they do, everybody kind of loses." ― Catherine Ryan Hyde

Paying it forward is not a new idea and has been written about before. There was a very nice movie some years back with the same name that did marginally well in the box office. The concept itself of "paying it forward" also does marginally well and that is what I'm here to talk about.

It is simple enough to say that our lives are truly impacted by the acts of others. The impact of others and our response or attitude towards them are of our own doing. But the impact remains, small, large or even doing nothing. 

The principle of paying it forward is not a self serving mentality. You perform these acts without expectation of anything in return. The idea is to do one good thing for three other people. All you ask of these people is that they each do the same for three people. 

Think of it as "network marketing" for the good of others.

What you are building up are the lives of more and more other people. You are that pebble dropped in the water, rippling outward to impact other people. Your simple act of kindness being paid forward is spreading for others to enjoy.

So try to do something good for at least one other person today. Don't ask for anything in return but do ask that person to do something good for another. So on and so forth life goes, making it a little better for each one of us.

Stay inspired my friends!

Paying Forward

"I guess it's hard for people who are so used to things the way they are - even if they are bad - to change. Cause they kind of give up. And when they do, everybody kind of loses." - Trevor McKinney, Pay It Forward

My notes from the road today are about serving others.

Paying it forward is not a new idea and has been written about before. There was a very nice movie with the same name which did quite well. The idea of "paying it forward" also does quite well in our lives and that is what I am here to talk about.

Our lives are truly impacted by the acts of others. You will notice I did not say our life is determined by others. We are impacted by others and our response or attitude towards them are of our own doing. 

The principle of paying it forward is not a self serving way of life. You don't perform these acts expecting anything in return. The idea is to do one good thing for three other people. All you ask of these people is that they each do the same for three more people each. 

Think of it as "network marketing" but only with goodness intended. Instead of three people recruiting three people to build you up. What you are building up is so more in that you are building up people and they in turn are doing the same. You are that pebble dropped in the water, rippling outward to impact other people. 

It is easy to do and all I ask is for you to try and do something good for at least one other person today. Don't ask for anything in return but do ask that person to do something good for another. So on and so forth life goes, making it a little better for each one of us.

Stay inspired my friends.

Pay It Forward

"Don't try to be different. Just be good. To be good is different enough." -Arthur Freed

There was a movie released in the year 2000 that many of you will remember. It was called "Pay It Forward." In this tale, a young boy develops a simple plan to make the world better when a teacher gives an assignment to come up with a project for school. It was a great movie and if you have not seen it, you can get a copy of the movie
(Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt and Haley Joel Osment) at Amazon.

The idea of "paying it forward" didn't start with this movie of course. The concept has been around a very long time. If you are not familiar with it, the concept is to simply ask that a good deed be repaid by having it done (something good) to others instead. Even an insurance company began using the concept as a theme for their commercials back in 2006.

"Pay it forward" dates back to 317 BC in Athens, Greece. It was used as a primary part of a play called Dyskolos (translated as "The Grouch"). The play disappeared or was lost either in the archives of history or obscurity. It was rediscovered and described by Benjamin Franklin, in a letter dated April 25, 1784:

"I do not pretend to give such a Sum; I only lend it to you. When you [...] meet with another honest Man in similar Distress, you must pay me by lending this Sum to him; enjoining him to discharge the Debt by a like operation, when he shall be able, and shall meet with another opportunity. I hope it may thus go thro' many hands, before it meets with a Knave that will stop its Progress. This is a trick of mine for doing a deal of good with a little money."

The famed Ohio State University football coach, Woody Hayes even spoke of the concept in nearly every speech he made. In the 1986 OSU Commencement speech, he speaks vividly about what it takes to "pay it forward" in life.

In whatever manner you want to view this, I see it as "feeding one" similar to that which Mother Theresa is quoted as saying. If you can not feed a hundred people, feed one and that person will do the same. It doesn't start with the huge and grandiose idea of saving the world in one fell swoop. It starts by saving the world, one-by-one.

Pay it forward in your life whenever a good deed is done for you. Pass it along to others and know that the goodness will come back around to you.

Stay inspired my friends.

Opened To More

"Courage is simply the willingness to be afraid and act anyway." -Robert Anthony

There is a small part in each of us that would rather sit behind the closed door. We would rather be complacent in the comfort of the small space we occupy. The idea of opening ourselves to something beyond our controlled atmosphere frightens us.

The artificial lights within our home provide just enough warmth to keep us satisfied. We read the paper, search the Internet and generally create a small piece of life. You feel there is no need to extend your world beyond the front door.

A large world exists beyond the threshold of your home. That world can use someone like you to enter it on a larger scale. The world needs the interaction of you. You need the interaction of the world in order to grow. It is said that a mushroom grows very well in the cool dark and wetness of an enclosed space. It grows even better when fed that four letter word which begins with an 's', a lonely existence in my mind.

But the flower flourishes outside in the world under a beaming sun. It draws strength from the cool rain water and nutrients of the earth. The flower is found by the world to be a source of inspiration. It brings beauty where none exists.

Are you that flower? No, I'm not that eloquent to suggest you are. What you are is someone that can flourish out in the world. Interacting with other people, impacting their lives with even the smallest of what you can offer. All it takes is to open that door and step out. To step out and beyond the walls that surround you will bring so much more to your life.

Try it today; open the door and step through it. Find a way to put yourself out in the world and do something for someone else. It all comes back around eventually. Some may call it 'paying it forward'. In this case, nothing may have been done for you yet. Well, you can start the process first. Be the first one in the chain that 'pays it forward' and it will eventually come back around when you least expect it (but need it most).

Open the door on your life and begin.
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