Paying it forward is another way of giving of yourself, your time, and your energy to someone else. It doesn’t have anything to do with what’s deserved. You literally can pay it forward not just today but on every day.
There are a million of ways to pay it forward. Anyone can do it. I encourage families to adopt a giving spirit in your home. For instance my kids and I always go through their clothes, shoes, and toys and find organizations that will use the items. I’ve been pushing that ever since I became a parent with the kids. It’s super important to recognize the blessings you have and do what you can to help others who aren’t as fortunate. Thankfully with social media we have seen whole organizations pay it forward. From customers paying the bill for breakfast and other eateries to others paying off Christmas layaways these little gems help to keep the human spirit going. There are so much darkness in the world, why not be the light?
Here is just a small list of ways you can pay it forward:
- Donate your clothes and unwanted but in good condition items to an organization or find someone in your community who needs. Think about it especially when the seasons change parents are scrambling to find clothes, give.
- Pay for someone else’s meal. You never know the situation. You may find that the individual or family you were paying for really needed a touch from a stranger.
- Offer to babysit for a single mom in your community. Raising kids is hard and there are a lot of overworked single parents who could use a break and a helping hand.
- Invite or make dinner for a family. That is time-saving and will allow a family to reconnect.
- If you have a gift or service such as doing or cutting hair, mechanic, etc why not offer your service free to a person or family that may really need it. Not everyone is blessed with these luxuries. Offer them the chance to look good or have their car up and running so they can continue to get to work or get to that next job interview.
- Make box lunches or breakfast for the homeless or make woman packages that helps women who are homeless or displaced the ability to keep their dignity during that time of the month. Nothing is worst than having to use paper towels or paper napkins and trust me you would be surprised of the many women who are forced to these means.
- Tutor a young person. Education is key and it’s not that all of our youth aren’t interested it could mean that they just need someone to pay them some attention. Helping them become better students will empower them to be more cautious of themselves and build a lasting relationship.
- Spend some time with the elderly. Do you know of many elderly who live alone and do not have anyone to help them get things like medication etc.? There are many. We know of many n our own communities and yet we don’t offer to help or check on them.
- Mother’s Day is around the corner and many new moms don’t have a support system. You may know of a new mom in your church or job, offer to make meals. Meals is a great thing since often times we forget to take care of ourselves because we are so engulfed in the new baby.
- Collect books to be donated at area schools where books is scarce. In these times I’ve seen more copied handout of papers than books. Many schools in poverty-stricken areas do not have access to a large amount of books. We all have a few books that our children have outgrown. Start collecting them and bringing to these schools. Giving the gift of literacy will be the stepping-stones to many kids future.
As you can see this is such a small list. I’m sure you can be more creative in finding ways to lend a helping hand. It doesn’t matter if you know the ones you are helping or not. All that matters is you are doing the very thing to give back to others. So what will you do? Pay it forward!!
