Pay it Forward

If you've ever seen the movie "Pay it Forward" you know it's about a young boy who decides to help change the world a little at a time through a process called 'pay it forward.' It's the idea of doing something for someone in hopes that they will pay it forward to three more people, which begins a chain reaction. Now I'm not going to talk about or give away the movie, but I want to linger on this idea of paying it forward. Have you ever heard of someone paying for the person behind them in the drive-thru at Starbucks? Then each person following keeps it going and it becomes a day long thing? That is an exact example of paying it forward. What if, instead of paying someone back for a favor they provide, we paid it forward? Could the world change?

Try it this week. Start simple. When you're out, why not smile at someone you normally wouldn't even look at? Or how about randomly giving someone a gift, then asking them to pay it forward. Or go for the Starbucks idea and pay for the person behind you in a drive-thru. We may not see the results each one of these can have, but I guarantee it will prompt others to be generous and 'pay it forward.' It's been said that a smile is contagious. Just think about how one smile given to someone can travel around your city from person to person the entire day. Just because we may not see the impact one small act can make doesn't mean it's not worth it. Show an act of kindness this week and let the world flow with it. See how the atmosphere of your day can change. From my experience, I can assure that not only will the person on the receiving end will be blessed, but you will too.

Tara K.