When I purchased Seth Godin’s book, ‘It’s Your Turn’, Seth issued a challenge to post a story a day. Every day. For 7 days.
I took up the challenge.
And chose to share insights into the values that influence the way I live.
And the way I run my business, The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover And Other Goodies.
This is Day 4.
Do You Pay It Forward?
Greetings from rural Australia,
I’m Carol Jones. And I’m the purveyor of The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover And Other Goodies.
What an interesting expression. Paying it forward. What does it mean?
In its simplest term, it’s you repaying a good deed done for you by someone – by doing a good deed for someone else.
Without any expectation for reward.
Or payback.
Some people live their whole lives ‘paying it forward’.
They’re the volunteers who shined like beacons at the Sydney Summer Olympics of 2000.
Still rated as ‘the best ever’!
They’re the men and women who give Meals On Wheels its impetus.
Serve in soup kitchens for the homeless.
Volunteer for committees that put something back into the community.
The grass roots of Australia grow stronger because of these men and women. And children.
Then there are the men and women who will stand back and watch someone die in the street. Rather than lift a finger to help.
That’s not extreme.
It happens. Every day. In some city. Somewhere in the world.
Paying it forward doesn’t mean you have to volunteer.
It just means you do something worthwhile for someone when you see the opportunity.
At the grocery store, if you have a full conveyor belt of groceries, let the person behind you with just a handful of items get in front of you.
Because.
They are always grateful. And that’s an immediate reward.
If someone in a public place drops something, pick it up for them.
Let someone pass in front of you with a gracious gesture.
Help someone with a pram up and down stairs. Getting into lifts.
Don’t get annoyed with a parent if a child is having a tantrum in a public place. You were that child once. And that parent needs all the support you can give. At that time. Not recriminations.
At any tick of the clock, there is someone, somewhere, who will benefit from you ‘paying it forward’.
What’s the benefit to you?
Absolutely nothing material.
But much in the way of spiritual reinforcement.
Talk to your friends.
And you can pick the ones who ‘pay it forward’ on a regular basis.
And the ones who don’t.
Helpers rarely whinge and whine. About anything.
They can see the bright side of life.
They’re the ones with a ‘sunny’ disposition.
The stingy, tight-assed, non givers find fault with just about everything.
All. The. Time.
If you haven’t noticed this before. Start paying attention to the conversation your friends, family and co-workers are engaging in.
You’ll soon pick the givers.
And learn to stay away from the non givers.
If you aren’t proficient yet in the art of ‘paying it forward’, start noticing opportunities. And start practising giving.
Before long, you’ll notice that good things happen to you. For ‘no reason at all’. Yes! Paying it forward comes with its own subtle payback. Just not in the way you expect.
PS. You can read ‘Our Story. How We Built A Worldwide Business From Broke’. Here.
And this is the link to Seth’s Book, It’s Your Turn. Highly recommended.
~Carol Jones, Ironing Diva❤
I Am The Purveyor Of The Tantrum Free Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover And Other Goodies
Made with love and care in RURAL Australia by men and women who have a disability.
It’s not for everyone.
But it’s definitely for you if you’re fussy about the cover you iron on.
And if you love to support Australian made.
And want to put something back into the community when you make a purchase.
The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover cover has more than 350,000 customers in 29 countries. Because it lives up to its name. It ‘Fitz Like A Glove™’ every time you iron.
And these are the ‘Other Goodies’
Like this post? Share it with your family and friends on . . .
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The share button is at the end of this post.
Have a question? Email me.
Or phone me, Carol Jones, in rural Australia on 02 63 588 511.
Photos of my rural property are courtesy of me, Ironing Diva – who is also known as Paddock Paparazzi – and taken at sunrise every morning.
Orange Sky At Sunrise
PS. And I have a fabulous newsletter ‘A Smidgen Of Gossip’. This is what a subscriber says about it. “Carol. Just had some time to read it and found that it is, as with everything you do, rather wonderful. A great read. W” You can subscribe to it by clicking this link. It’s FREE! This is not a lifetime commitment. You can Unsubscribe at any time. Don’t miss out. Click this link now!
Laughing Kookaburras In A Eucalyptus Stringybark
