Pay-It-Forward, it starts with you

Paying it forward is a simple concept that doesn't require much effort and yet we're all very conditioned to be skeptical of helping others, especially those we don't know. We live in a fast-paced world, and the demands of daily life have a tendency to force us inward and become guarded against those who need help, be they beggars on the street, people flyering for a good cause or random passersby. So that makes any act of kindness seemingly random just because it's not programmed into our lives to naturally pay it forward.

Fortunately, to many people out there, paying it forward isn't just a nice gesture, but second nature. Helping other people is in their DNA and they're shocked to find out when people make a big fuss about their selfless contributions. These are the people who have the power to bring about real positive change to the world and often do — for them, the impetus for doing a good deed is not the possible pat on the back they'll get for doing so. It's from an honest intention to help others out and nothing more.

The Best Pay it Forward Stories from around the world:

• A complete stranger paid $10,000 so that one lady could have a liver operation that she otherwise could not have afforded. She still does not know who it was who ‘paid it forward’ on the day, but she is forever grateful.

• One lady contacted a hospital to see if there were any needy families that could use some flights which she wouldn’t be able to use. As a result one family was able to travel across Australia to be with their very sick family member in hospital.

• A handicapped lady had a 10 minute neck and shoulder massage and left money and a PIFD card so the next person could have a massage for free.

• One boy noticed a car was just about to receive a ticket. He asked his mum if he could top up the parking meter to stop the person getting booked. It saved someone a $79 fine.

"It is my wildest dream that the concept of paying a favor forward instead of paying it back would take over the world and results in a cascading flood of people helping their fellow human beings. This may never come true but I believe that if just one of the people I help does the same for another person then it has made a difference to the world. I do not have a lot of money, I am not extremely gifted or intelligent, I don’t now how to make things better for everyone but if I can help anyone in some small way, whether that be opening a door for a lady who has her hands full with shopping, directing a lost tourist, informing an elderly man as to when the next bus will arrive or even just saying “thank-you” and smiling at a sales assistant who appears to have had a bad day, I know that my small favors somehow, somewhere make a difference, and that’s enough for me. Don’t pay it back – pay it forward. The world wont change, but you can.” posting on a kindness website by Bree, a 20 year old Australian

Any random act of kindness can cause a positive ripple effect restoring our faith in the love and compassion of the human spirit.

Happy new year , and don't forget to follow ...... ;)