Paying it forward
- nikabasiron
- Oct 10, 2023
- 2 min read
Gratitude is such a powerful thing. It is a choice, and we can make a choice every day to acknowledge and feel grateful for the things and people we already have in our life. Then when we go that step further and share that feeling of gratitude with another person, we enrich not only our lives but the lives of others. Gratitude can be expressed however big or small, from a simple "thank you" or sharing a smile, to an extravagant gesture or gift.
I read a book when I was younger, called Pay it Forward, by Catherine Ryan Hyde, which was released as a movie in a theatrical adaptation a few years later.
In this book, a young boy and his whole class were asked to come up with a plan to change the world and put it into action.
His plan was simple. Do something amazing for 3 people, something they are not able to do for themselves. Instead of paying him back, the recipient of the favor needs to do a major favor for 3 other people in their life. Something they are not able to do for themselves. From this plan, and from a small boy helping 3 people, a network of kindness and giving ensued, and ultimately it changed the world!
Paying it forward.
Throughout the years since, I have put this plan into action in my personal life and realized that gratitude is such a powerful emotion. When you give to another person without expecting anything back in return you can truly change a life!
If you don't believe me, take up the challenge! And you don't even have to tell anyone else about it. See if you can make a difference in 3 people's lives, by doing something for them that they would never have been able to do by themselves. Instead of asking them to pay you back, ask them to pay it forward in the future when they see someone is in need.
Over time you realize that for some people, a simple act of kindness may be the difference between someone giving up or having hope. And for me, that's what spreading gratitude is all about.
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