It was a Friday night and I had just gotten off work after a long shift. It wasn't the best day. I stood in line at Moe's to pick up dinner in somewhat of a daze. I ordered and was waiting to pay when I heard the man in front of me say to the cashier, “Put her food on my tab too.” I was a bit taken aback by this random act of kindness, because in our society they don’t seem to happen often. I thanked the man, who was with his little daughter, and he kindly responded with the words, “Just pay it forward.” I walked out of Moes with a huge smile.

I had heard this phrase only a few weeks back when my dad told me about a movie called “Pay It Forward.” It’s about a young boy who attempts to make the world a better place after getting an assignment from his teacher to put into action a way to change the world. The movie was inspired by the 1999 novel “Pay It Forward,” whose author, Catherine Ryan Hyde's, also started a non-profit organization that strives to influence growth for the philosophy.

To “pay it forward” means to repay good deeds not with payback, but with a new good deed done to another person…and so the cycle continues and reaches more communities, impacting more people’s lives. Every single day we have the opportunity to show kindness; simply being kind makes you feel good too. We can make someone else’s day by expressing gratitude and encouraging others to do the same.

A famous motivational speaker, Zig Ziglar, once said, “Life is an echo. What you send out comes back.”

This small gesture by a stranger to pay for my $6.99 quesadilla made my night, but more importantly it made me think about how, if everyone applied this philosophy of doing acts of kindness among strangers, our society would be so much better as a whole. We would be more caring, more compassionate, and happier. Paying it forward is a better, kinder approach to life in a world that is focused on being a faultfinder.

Ten Easy Ways to Pay It Forward:

1. Buy coffee for the person behind you
2. Leave a note on someone’s car telling them to have a great day
3. Smile at strangers you pass
4. Put some change in an expired meter
5. Send five positive text messages to friends and family
6. Leave a server a bigger tip than the meal cost
7. Bring home-baked cookies to a neighbor
8. Clean out your old clothes and donate them to the poor
9. Volunteer at a nursing home, hospital, animal shelter, etc.
10. Let someone cut you in line at the grocery store