25 Ways to Pay it Forward

A lot of people ask me why I feel the need to be positive and look for good. The answer is simple. It makes me happy and hopefully it helps others to be happy as well. I am not one to run around in a happy daze pretending that life is lollipops and sunshine, but I do believe that no matter what is happening in life, there is good to be found. And if I find the good, it is my responsibility to share it.

There are times when it is hard to reach deep inside and pull the good out. Life gets burdensome and overwhelming. Sometimes the clouds start to block out my sunshine. Sometimes I need someone to share light with me-so I can pay it forward and brighten the day for someone else who might need it too.  Simple things are some of the best ways to give some joy and pay it forward. If we all took the light we have and then passed it on to someone else, there's no telling how far the light would reach. There's no way to measure the ripple effect that would take place because of one small, seemingly insignificant act. It's something I would love to witness for sure. So I will light the torch right here and start it moving forward. Here are 25 simple ways to pay it forward. There are millions more, I am sure, but one only needs to get started...

1- SMILE. Smiling is contagious. Sometimes that is the one thing a person needs to move forward.

2- Send a thank you note. Tell someone how they have touched your life and made it better. Do it once a month. Once a week is even better. This helps you acknowledge the good in your life, helps someone feel good in theirs, and can inspire them to pay it forward-again.

3- Compliment someone every day. Sincerely.

4- Let someone go in front of you-in line at the store, moving over in traffic, walking into the pizza joint.

5- Pick up the tab. Pay for a serviceman's lunch, a missionary's donut, a single mother's gallon of milk. It doesn't have to be an 8 course meal for a family of 12. Small items count.

6- Lend an ear. Not your mouth. Listen without offering your own experience or advice (this is harder than it looks!)

7- Acknowledge. Everyone. The homeless man in the street, the grouchy office worker, the person who gets on your last nerve. A nod and smile is plenty. We all need acknowledgement.

8- Pick up that mess you didn't make. The piece of garbage on the floor, that coat in the hall, that half a banana you didn't eat. Pick it up and put it where it needs to go.

9- Clean up your own messes-so someone else doesn't have to.

10- Say Please.

11- Say THANK YOU. These simple words are becoming a thing of the past. It amazes me how many people forget to thanks. Saying thank you gives drive to do good things over and over again.

12- Realize that EVERYONE ELSE is just as busy as you are. Maybe in different ways, with different things. Everyone has places to go, things to do, people to see. Realizing this gives you sympathy, empathy and basic courteousness.

13- Take care of your responsibilities so someone else doesn't have to.  If you said you would do it, then do it and do it the best you can.

14- Wave at a police officer. They are so used to being seen as the bad guy. Acknowledge the good things they do every day.

15- Thank a military service person. You are safe because these people put their lives on the line every day to save yours.

16- Pray for someone. So many people need our prayers. Yours could be the one that tips the scales.

17- Save a few cookies or an extra loaf of bread for someone. There is a woman at work who loves my cookies. I always take a few to her when I bake them. It has strengthened our relationship because she knows I care enough to remember this about her.

18- Take a treat to work and share it. It may be the pick me up that gets someone through the day.

19- Keep a small gift with you-a lotion, a candle, a candy bar.  When you see someone who is down, someone who has done something kind, or someone who is doing a good job, someone who is brave- hand it over.

20-Keep a couple of extra dollars with you. When someone is a little short at the checkstand, give a little. I did this for a woman at Christmastime who was buying some gifts for some soldiers. It made us all feel good.

21- If a co-worker is coming up for a review, give a note or vote of confidence.

22- Thank the people in your life for being in your life.

23- Wish someone well EVERY day. Send a text, a note, an e-mail, give a call, talk to someone. Tell them to have a good day. They just might because you said it.

24- Thank the "little people"; the ones who don't get remembered very often. The garbage man, the people who plow snow, the bank teller, the custodian, the mailman. They will be touched you remember them.

25- Share small pleasures. The sunset outside, a flower you picked, a piece of your candy, a sliver of your heart.  Share it with someone.