By Eva Gregory, CPCC
What if there was a way that you could maximize the potential of helping someone nearly every day? What if it required little or no effort on your part? Does this sound appealing?
Most people would jump at the chance to help someone else, especially if it required very little inconvenience. There is a way that you can make it happen - by paying it forward. I know, "what in the world is 'paying it forward?'" Many of you may have seen the movie, “Pay It Forward”. Paying it forward is the opposite of paying it back!
When someone does you a favor, what do you typically say? "Thanks so much (Sue, Charlie, or John), I'll pay you back!" Well, instead of paying back Sue, Charlie, or John, you do something nice for someone else.
Awesome idea, huh! Only instead of paying it forward once, do it twice! Thus, one good deed could spawn hundreds of others in a relatively short time as you ask others to pay it forward instead of paying you back. Imagine the good that can be accomplished.
Trevor, the 12-year-old hero of Pay It Forward, thinks of quite an idea. He describes it to his mother and teacher this way: "You see, I do something real good for three people. And then when they ask how they can pay it back, I say they have to Pay It Forward. To three more people. Each. So 9 people get helped. Then those people have to do 27." He turned on the calculator, punched in a few numbers. "Then it sort of spreads out, see? To 81. Then 243. Then 729. Then 2,187. See how big it gets?"
The Pay It Forward concept of doing unselfish acts of kindness, a service for someone, and asking them to pay the kindness forward instead of paying it back is a powerful idea.
Tricia asked Mike to drive her to the airport to catch her flight. She did not want to leave her car at the terminal for four days. When she was almost ready to board, she told Mike that she would "pay him back" as soon as she got home. To her surprise, Mike told her that she did not have to pay him back at all, but asked her to pay two other people forward. As she boarded the plane, she thought about his request and could not wait to try it out. She was so excited that by the time she returned home she had already fulfilled her end of the bargain.
On the two hour flight, Tricia struck up a conversation with a fellow passenger and offered to help her break into a new market for her small business by introducing her to a few of her contacts. She exchanged business cards and sent the e-mails to her contacts as soon as she reached her hotel.
Her second good deed was completed when she offered someone a ride to their hotel when she learned that the car rental had run out of vehicles. In essence, Tricia repaid her "debt" within hours of incurring it. AND, by asking the two people she helped to also "pay it forward," she put the ball in motion for many others to benefit from this practice.
The best part for Tricia was the wonderful feelings that accompanied the acts of kindness. She was very happy that she could help others, especially strangers, and that feeling carried over into the other parts of her trip. Tricia had a wonderfully successful trip, as like does attract like.
So remember the phrase, "Why don't you pay it forward?" Be prepared to sit back and watch the rippling effect of how powerful and positive this is. It will help make this year a better year for many.
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About the Author:
Eva Gregory, CPCC, is a master coach, speaker and author of several programs and books including The Feel Good Guide to Prosperity. She has instructed tens of thousands in person, on the radio and in teleconferences, seminars and workshops on how to deliberately create a life by design using the Law of Attraction. As co-host of The Jeanna and Eva Show and The Law of Attraction Show on Exceptional Wisdom Radio, she has interviewed some of the most powerfully successful motivational experts today. Her new book, Life Lessons for Mastering the Law of Attraction, co-authored with Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hanson and Jeanna Gabellini, can be found in bookstores everywhere.
Copyright @2009 Eva Gregory. All rights reserved.
That's actually a good idea! Instead of asking or reminding someone to pay me back, I'll tell that person to pay it forward. Thanks for sharing the story of Tricia. I think that gave me an idea on how to go about it. I really want to make a difference in other people's lives. You've inspired me to think of how ways on how to GIVE MORE and pay it forward.
Posted by: Nikka | November 09, 2009 at 01:21 AM