We go through life day by day with a routine schedule that we are comfortable with and most of the time we are too focused on ourselves to realize what is going on with the world beyond our bubble. We are caught up with our own lives and the responsibilities that we have that may seem endless.
That is not immoral, that is normal and we are only human so it is acceptable that we can be selfish at times. It is life and we tend to make it tougher than it needs to be. However, those three words “pay it forward” can make a vast difference; it is a simple notion but some of us tend to over-complicate what it means.
Pay it forward is promoting kindness to strangers and serving to create a better society. Majority of the time, when someone has received an act of kindness from a stranger you feel motivated to be a better person. Paying it forward does not mean paying back someone who has done a good deed for you, it means undertaking an act of kindness for another stranger and hopefully continuing a cycle of kind deeds.
So many people think this world is dark and that people are selfish and inhumane, but maybe if we could all do a simple act of kindness for someone then we could spark a light in that person to do the same.
This does not have to be as difficult as some people make it out to be. Paying it forward could be as simple as complimenting a stranger on their hair, outfit, etc. You know how awe-inspiring it feels to be complimented by a stranger who does not owe anything to you? It feels great.
Paying it forward could be you in the drive-thru and you pay the cashier for the person’s coffee behind you. That stranger will not know who you were, but I guarantee it will make their day and leave them feeling inspired.
It is wretched that our generation thinks that this world is a sad, cruel place because it is not. There are so many kind people in the world, we just need to spread the love more often than not. Pay it forward by texting five people in your life and reminding them out of the blue how important they are to you. Maybe put some spare change that you have in an expired meter. You could clean out your closet and donate clothes that are not necessary to someone who needs them more. Bake some cookies for a neighbor you have. Share your umbrella with a stranger when it is raining.
If you see a kid having a lemonade stand, stop by and get a lemonade and tell them that what they are doing is awesome and to keep it up. Lemonade stands are cheap and kids are ecstatic when people buy from them (trust me, I know. I used to do this all the time). Leave a note on someone’s car telling them to have a good day. Leave a server a bigger tip than the meal you paid for.
Paying it forward does not mean you have to blow endless amounts of cash on a stranger or do some grand gesture. It can be a simple act of kindness, and it will still go a long way. Most people nowadays do not expect kindness to be directed their way unless someone is paying them back – let us change that. Let us be a reminder that there is so much greatness and love in this world.
Pay it forward is simple. Be a kind person to others. This is not a hard concept – inspire others to be kind and let us get the cycle moving. How will you pay it forward?
