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What does it Mean to Pay it Forward?
The “pay it forward” movement is not a new concept. According to Wikipedia, it dates all the way back to 317 BC where it was used as a key plot concept for a play in ancient Athens. There are small documented events of the “pay it forward” notion throughout history; however, it became a widely popular concept after the 2000 movie of the same name, which was based on the novel by Catherine Ryan Hyde.
The simplest way to define “pay it forward” is that when someone does something for you, instead of paying that person back directly, you pass it on to another person instead. One of the easiest examples of this is buying a coffee for the person in line behind you at the coffee shop and then they buy a coffee for the person behind them and so on.
What is the point of all this? Why do so many people live their lives according to the “pay it forward” principle? It has been proven that acts of kindness build exponentially in a community and because people believe that one good deed deserves another. “Paying it forward” can make the world a better place.
Have you ever done anything to “pay it forward?” Has anyone ever done a good deed for you? Tell us about it and how it made you feel in the comments below.
References
Pay it Forward. [Online image] Available http://yourcaringangels.com/blog/?p=1010, February 26, 2009.
For more information on Pay it Forward from Wikipedia, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pay_it_forward.
“Paying it forward” doesn’t have to be about spending any money. What kind of things have you done or could you do to help someone out that involve donating your time or talent? I think it’s the little things that really count. Things like giving a friend a hug when they are having a bad day or offering to help a co-worker with a move to a new home.
I agree, “Pay it forward” is not all about what you spend on people. I volunteer alot with our local conservation club and there is no better feeling then to have someone say thank you for something we feel is so minimal. Whether it be donating old clothes to homeless shelter or just lending a sympathetic ear, either way we can make a difference in life.
I just wanted to give a brief example of another way to “pay it forward”.
I was working through a temporary employment agency a few years ago, and the company I was workin at had told me I had a great opportunity to become full time. As time went by I had a great job offer at a security guard but I was so focused on my current position so I turned them down. One day, I came across a young man who had just moved to our area with his family and needed work. Well anyone who has worked with temp agencies know how some of them “jerk” you around, promise you a full time job then at your 89th day, they lay you off. During our conversation, I told him about the security job, and who to talk to. He got up and went straight to the guard shack and was hired on the spot. He then told another person, who then told someone else. I never did get that fulltime job through the company but a few months later found an even better job. I run into this gentleman from time to time and he still thanks me for sharing the job with him.
One of the best examples I can think of happened right here in my home city of Brisbane, Australia. In January 2011 we had record floods in the city that left devastation in about a third of the city. Many houses and businesses were destroyed and many more were severely damaged.
Once the water started to subside the “gumboot army” emerged, tens of thousands of volunteers from across the city and even inter-state arrived, unbidden, to help with the cleanup. Even now, some months after the event, volunteer tradesmen still spend their weekends helping people repair and recover. All done without the thought of payment, just simply paying it forward.