Have you ever seen the movie Pay It Forward? Go watch it, it’s very good.
The premise behind ‘paying it forward’ is that if someone does something nice for you, don’t repay them. Instead, repay their favour by doing a favour to someone else. Instead of paying them back, you’re paying them forward. And tell the person that you’ve paid forward to not pay you back, but also to pay forward.
Very cool concept. But how often do we actually pay it forward? How often do we do something nice for someone else, simply because we’re in the right place at the right time to do something nice for them?
There are people in our lives who have done something special for us, but that we just haven’t gotten around to ‘paying them back’ for. How about paying it forward instead.
Do something nice for someone else, simply because someone has been nice to you. Give something to someone, simply because someone has given you something.
When you have something that could be better used by someone else, give it to them. When you can do something for someone else, do it for them. Ask them to pay it forward, not to pay it back.
It’s a very small gesture of kindness, but with incredibly positive repercussions.
Sometimes, when I’ve had more than enough change and I’ve had to pay for a car park, I’ve given the attendant all the change, and told them to use the remainder for the next person. Sometimes, when I’ve been given something I don’t want from a service station or shop, I tell them to give it to the very next person instead.
Overall, however, I know there’s so much more I could do for others, to pay forward what has been done for me in the past.
What could you do? Will you do it? Try. Don’t pay it back, pay it forward. And if you feel like sharing, tell us about those times you’ve paid it forward.
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