What makes Pay It Forward so powerful? Sure we all know the concept. Pay It Forward is when one person does something good for someone and then that person does something good for someone else. The question is what makes these acts of support, encouragement, and kindness so powerful? If last month’s column is on your mind you may be thinking about how science and spirituality fuel my statement “…every act of kindness no matter how small creates an energy that will only grow the power of love and hope.” In this light it is easy to see that Pay it Forward might be able to grow love and hope exponentially, but how?
We can all see that one person’s good deed plus another person’s good deed equals two acts of kindness. One plus one equals two right? Short answer: not always. We have almost all heard and many of us have said that one plus one doesn’t always equal two. In the case of Pay It Forward one good deed plus another good deed may almost always equal more than two. Think about it. If the first person inspires the second to give how can we say that the second person does not inspire the third to continue the Pay It Forward chain? Is this exponential growth? Maybe, but it will take a very long time for one Pay It Forward Chain to reach the more than 7,511,000 people that live on our planet according to the world population clock.
What if we look at Pay It Forward as a form of currency? Bear with me, I agree. Pay it Forward is the antithesis of a transaction because it demands each person to give without the expectation of receiving any return on their kindness investment for themselves. Pay It Forward is more like a giving tree where the trunk supports the growth of each branch and all of the tree’s leaves or, in the case of a pine tree, needles. However I am not an arborist and have no idea how to explore the Power of Pay It Forward using wood, bark, and foliage. Which brings us back to currency and the bank of kindness.
Do you see how Pay It Forward might be the way to apply the power of compound interest to kindness? Seems simple: one person gives kindness to another, then that same person does something good for yet another person. All the while the people receiving these good deeds turn around and do something good for more people. It kind of reminds me of the very, very old Prell commercial that goes “I told two people who told two people…” and the photos multiply by two then four then sixteen. Now that is how Pay It Forward grows kindness in multiple kindness accounts.
Who knew we could use math and science to explore the power of kindness? If only we could make giving as easy as exploring the Pay It Forward equation. Prayers you are smiling and thinking giving kindness is way easier than chaos theory, math, arboriculture, and finance. I look forward to learning what you think the greatest power of kindness is and how we can all bring more hope and love to our world. Please join in the conversation on the Let’s Chat blog at www.nomispublications.com/blog.aspx, give me a ring at (781)331-5308, or if you prefer email me at kristan@mooneytunco.com.