Creating a Beautiful World together with Love, Light, and the Law of Attraction

Pay It Forward

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Let's make a positive difference in this world? One way is the practice "paying it forward." These simple steps could change the world.

Location: The Universe
Members: 42
Latest Activity: Oct 27

How to Pay it Forward

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 or maybe you're in a restaurant and see someone who looks like they could use some kind stranger to pay for their meal. You can change people's attitudes about the world through your unobtrusive acts of kindness.

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.

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, as described in Step 2.

Tips:
The "pay it forward" concept was popularized with the book Pay It Forward by Catherine Ryan Hyde, which was later made into a movie with the same title, starring Helen Hunt, Haley Joel Osment, and Kevin Spacey.

Even small acts, such as paying the toll for the car behind you when you pay for your own, or paying for the meal at a fast food drive through of the car behind you counts.
Just tell the worker to let the person behind you to ask them to pay it forward to 3 people.
If it makes the world a friendlier place, you succeeded!

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.

It can feel risky to help strangers, but trust your own good intentions and don't be afraid to go out on a limb if you believe your actions can help the person.

Leave stories in the comments of how this concept has affected you as you practice
random acts of kindness.
Love and Light :)
Mike

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15 Comments

Comment by Deborah J. Boyd on June 8, 2009 at 2:47pm: Pay It Forward is so easy to do that people think it can't work. It is, after all is said and done, unconditional love. The sun shines on all. You must block it in order not to receive it. And yet we see examples of this all the time. We have a dream and yet when someone comes along and tells us they can help us to achieve our dream we withdraw from them. Nothing in life is really free. The bigger the dream you have the more people it will take to manifest that dream. My dream is Peace on Earth by 2027. Education + Prosperity = Peace.
I am Director of Prosperity Coalition LLC. I am an organizational architect. Any organization worth the effort to put it together is worth far more than the sum of it's parts. prosperitycoalitionllc@gmail.com

Comment by Mary Sadd on February 24, 2009 at 8:10pm: ~Love and Light~ Mary

Comment by Jobexperts on February 24, 2009 at 8:09pm

Comment by lisa tully on February 17, 2009 at 7:07pm: To all my wonderful friends on this site, Blessings and Namaste
Clear skies are all around you
Life is a gift and a garden
Do you remember!

In Love and Light Lisa
Wildhipichld

Comment by lisa tully on February 2, 2009 at 10:47am: To all the Beautiful Souls on this site Pay It Forward, Thank you for spreading the Light and creating a better world for All for we are All ONE! Have A Heavenly Day! Bright Blessings to All. Namaste Lisa

Comment by Margaret on January 27, 2009 at 10:30pm: Call it what one may being compassionate and kind , brings this to us also. So smile at everyone,be the Change! Let the Love you have inside out, share this Beauty with All that is.The One you help may be an Angel in disguise so, treat each person, animal, and all things with loving kindness.Much Love, *Namaste*,Margaret

Comment by elizabeth russell on January 23, 2009 at 9:41am: I try to do things for others dispite being disabled

Comment by lisa tully on January 22, 2009 at 7:18pm: Thank You For inviting me to the wonderful group Pay it forward, I am truly honored. Many bright Blessings to all! Namaste Lisa

Comment by Jane on January 21, 2009 at 12:00pm: Thank you for the lovely story Melissa-Megee. Thank you for thinking of this Mike. I have had a couple opportunities for random acts of kindness recently. It felt nice. Perhaps I'll get the opportunity now to act on something bigger and ask the recipient to pay it forward. That would feel great.