It would be a leading question to ask if anyone has ever helped you. Of course they have. But when was the last time you really thought about someone who helped you?
What's the first memory of a person stepping up to assist you - was it memories in childhood or a more recent memory in a workplace? Timing makes a difference. We are conditioned to jump to conclusion that something is negative, that the years that have past always mean something bad. Not true!
If you immediately were whisked back to your youth, you have a strong connection to values, which were instilled by your family, and your family is important to you. They shape your life and the things that you do every day.
Conversely, if a more recent work situation came to mind, it shows that you have built a strong community where you landed after school. Strong relationships made a lasting impact as you were promoted in your profession. The work you do is important to you.
By reviewing the things that are deeply important to you on a more regular basis, you can make sure you "walk the walk." Be it formal mentoring of a recent graduate, taking a single opportunity to help a neighbor in a snowstorm, volunteering on a regular basis for a non-profit, or dreaming big and putting into action a project like the vision for veterans below, you can be kind - exponentially - and be the change you want to see in the world.
When we take these ideas to the big picture in our community, we realize the beauty of what's created by seeing everything come together; we better see that people aren't all the same color, shape and size (as in the photo above). We can make the whole better by helping the individual pieces.
Notice the title of this post is composed using an action verb - Paying. Helping should not be a one-stop trip, but an ongoing process. The approaching weekend is the "official" Pay It Forward weekend, starting on Friday and concluding Sunday evening. But why let someone else put limits on your time? Decide for yourself how much you owe to others for helping you, and continue paying it forward with interest.
