Spread the love.
The world can seem like an unfriendly, threatening place, yet we all want safety, health, and happiness for ourselves and our loved ones.
How can one ordinary person -- you or me -- make a positive difference in this world?
One way is the practice "paying it forward."
While the steps might be simple, the outcome could change the world.
# Be attentive wherever you are for opportunities to help someone.
# Perhaps you have an elderly or disabled neighbor who is too proud to ask for help with their yardwork.
# A all alone neighbor who is sick and you offer to shop for them, or bring them chicken soup.
# You can change people's attitudes about the world through your unobtrusive acts of kindness.
The world can seem like an unfriendly, threatening place, yet we all want safety, health, and happiness for ourselves and our loved ones.
How can one ordinary person -- you or me -- make a positive difference in this world?
One way is the practice "paying it forward."
While the steps might be simple, the outcome could change the world.
# Be attentive wherever you are for opportunities to help someone.
# Perhaps you have an elderly or disabled neighbor who is too proud to ask for help with their yardwork.
# A all alone neighbor who is sick and you offer to shop for them, or bring them chicken soup.
# You can change people's attitudes about the world through your unobtrusive acts of kindness.
Steps:
Do something nice for someone you don't know (or don't know very well).
It should be something significant, and not for a person from whom you expect a good deed -- or anything at all, for that matter -- in return.
An act form the heart.
Spread the word.
If the person thanks you and wants to "repay" you (that is, pay it "back"), let them know that what you'd really like is for them to pay it "forward" -- you'd like them to do something nice for three people they don't know, and ask those three people to do something nice for three more people.
The idea is to consciously increase the goodness of the world.
Pay it forward.
When you notice that somebody has done something nice for you, make a note in your mind to practice three acts of kindness towards other people.
Kind acts you can do for others:
Write a letter to a stranger.
It only takes a few minutes to write, but a letter can make someone else's day, or even their week.
Think of all the people who are lonely, isolated or just in need of cheering up: soldiers fighting overseas, kids in juvenile detention centers or elderly people in nursing homes.
Do a simple search online and you'll find services that will provide you with list of people who'd love to hear from you.
Put someone else first.
If you get to the grocery store check-out line at the same time as someone else, you can decide to smile and wave them through first.
Or, when you're stuck in traffic and the last thing you want to do is let a car get in front of you, just remember that somebody else had to let you in, and repay the favor to the next person!
Say thank you.
Think of all the people in your life whose faces and names you'll never know but who serve and protect you day after day.
Send some prepackaged treats to your local police or fire department with a card letting them know how much you appreciate their service to the community. (Since homemade desserts could be contaminated, they will probably not be eaten.)
Compliment someone.
There's usually an awkward silence when you're stuck in an elevator with a stranger.
Instead of staring at the floor, find something you like about the other person and compliment him/her on it.
Not only will it make him/her feel good, it just might kick off a conversation with a new friend.
Offer helping hands.
Do you ever see homeless people and feel overwhelmed by your inability to make a difference?
Even if you can't save them all, you can do a lot with one small act.
Buy a pair of gloves or dig up an old blanket, and give them to someone who's living in the cold streets or to any organization that serves the homeless.
Clean up.
The next time you see someone littering, don't just shake your head and look the other way.
Pick up the litter and throw it away, and while you're at it, look around the street for any other trash that needs to be removed.
If you take a walk, take a plastic grocery bag so you can collect the trash that would otherwise just make you unhappy, and know that you're doing a random act of kindness for the people who will come through after you!
Cheer someone up.
Maybe you know someone who's had a horrible day.
Send them some flowers or give them a warm hug to make them feel better.
Everyone needs just a little extra love sometimes.
Send a message.
Write down your favorite poem on happiness or jot down some thoughts on hope, then leave it somewhere for a stranger to find.
Forgive somebody.
You'd be amazed at the ripple effect an ounce of forgiveness can have in your life and in the lives of others.
Share a smile.
When meeting a new person, or even chatting with an old one, express joy.
Show that you're happy to be with them, and that they make you happy.
Practicing the "pay it forward" principle will make you alert to unexpected kindness from strangers toward you, and you may find yourself becoming more grateful for everyday kindness and consideration from people you don't even know.
You can teach your children to "pay it forward".
An idea for teachers to make it a class project.
The "pay it forward" concept was popularized with the book Pay It Forward by Catherine Ryan Hyde, to bring the message from her novel to classrooms across the country.
Which was later made into a movie with the same title, starring Helen Hunt, Haley Joel Osment, and Kevin Spacey.
Do something nice for someone you don't know (or don't know very well).
It should be something significant, and not for a person from whom you expect a good deed -- or anything at all, for that matter -- in return.
An act form the heart.
Spread the word.
If the person thanks you and wants to "repay" you (that is, pay it "back"), let them know that what you'd really like is for them to pay it "forward" -- you'd like them to do something nice for three people they don't know, and ask those three people to do something nice for three more people.
The idea is to consciously increase the goodness of the world.
Pay it forward.
When you notice that somebody has done something nice for you, make a note in your mind to practice three acts of kindness towards other people.
Kind acts you can do for others:
Write a letter to a stranger.
It only takes a few minutes to write, but a letter can make someone else's day, or even their week.
Think of all the people who are lonely, isolated or just in need of cheering up: soldiers fighting overseas, kids in juvenile detention centers or elderly people in nursing homes.
Do a simple search online and you'll find services that will provide you with list of people who'd love to hear from you.
Put someone else first.
If you get to the grocery store check-out line at the same time as someone else, you can decide to smile and wave them through first.
Or, when you're stuck in traffic and the last thing you want to do is let a car get in front of you, just remember that somebody else had to let you in, and repay the favor to the next person!
Say thank you.
Think of all the people in your life whose faces and names you'll never know but who serve and protect you day after day.
Send some prepackaged treats to your local police or fire department with a card letting them know how much you appreciate their service to the community. (Since homemade desserts could be contaminated, they will probably not be eaten.)
Compliment someone.
There's usually an awkward silence when you're stuck in an elevator with a stranger.
Instead of staring at the floor, find something you like about the other person and compliment him/her on it.
Not only will it make him/her feel good, it just might kick off a conversation with a new friend.
Offer helping hands.
Do you ever see homeless people and feel overwhelmed by your inability to make a difference?
Even if you can't save them all, you can do a lot with one small act.
Buy a pair of gloves or dig up an old blanket, and give them to someone who's living in the cold streets or to any organization that serves the homeless.
Clean up.
The next time you see someone littering, don't just shake your head and look the other way.
Pick up the litter and throw it away, and while you're at it, look around the street for any other trash that needs to be removed.
If you take a walk, take a plastic grocery bag so you can collect the trash that would otherwise just make you unhappy, and know that you're doing a random act of kindness for the people who will come through after you!
Cheer someone up.
Maybe you know someone who's had a horrible day.
Send them some flowers or give them a warm hug to make them feel better.
Everyone needs just a little extra love sometimes.
Send a message.
Write down your favorite poem on happiness or jot down some thoughts on hope, then leave it somewhere for a stranger to find.
Forgive somebody.
You'd be amazed at the ripple effect an ounce of forgiveness can have in your life and in the lives of others.
Share a smile.
When meeting a new person, or even chatting with an old one, express joy.
Show that you're happy to be with them, and that they make you happy.
Practicing the "pay it forward" principle will make you alert to unexpected kindness from strangers toward you, and you may find yourself becoming more grateful for everyday kindness and consideration from people you don't even know.
You can teach your children to "pay it forward".
An idea for teachers to make it a class project.
The "pay it forward" concept was popularized with the book Pay It Forward by Catherine Ryan Hyde, to bring the message from her novel to classrooms across the country.
Which was later made into a movie with the same title, starring Helen Hunt, Haley Joel Osment, and Kevin Spacey.
