Does it not feel wonderful to be the catalyst that activates the pay it forward system?  What is paying it forward?  For those of you who don’t know — it is when you perform an act of kindheartedness with no need for reward, the receiver of that action then pays it forward to someone else.

“When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy.” 
― Rumi

This creates a cycle of goodwill that can, hopefully, snowball — spreading out into the world at large.

Do you feel like starting an avalanche of joy today?

How Can I Be of Service?

Here is a simple list of things that you can start to incorporate into your every day life, scattering those seeds of love and bliss.  I guarantee that the pay-off will be huge — just watch how you start affecting people’s lives.

• Smile at people — especially the ones that look grumpy.  They are the very ones who probably need your beam of sunlight more than anything!
• 
  Hug people — most people are tactile and appreciate some physical contact.  It could mean the world of difference to them if you hugged them instead of just standing there like a great lump!
• Genuine compliments — don’t hold back on this one but don’t force it either.  There are so many times when we think something nice about a person but never actually open our mouths to voice it.  Just one little spoken observation could make someone’s day.
• Practice kindness — be gentle and giving in all you do.  Don’t only reserve yourself for friends and family.  Treat everyone you meet as If you were long-lost buddies. Do this with animals too; they just thrive on unconditional love.
• Be impeccable with your word — think before you speak.  Try to filter out your blurbs.  Sometimes we say too much or let slip hurtful things that we can’t retract, so be mindful of your dialogue at all times.  People will notice this and want the same quality.
• Thoughtfulness — bring tokens of love and gratitude whenever you visit or bump into someone.  I learnt this from Deepak Chopra.  He said that this can be in the form of a silent prayer or blessing, a bunch of hand-picked flowers or a poem.  It needn’t cost anything but the thought.  People really do appreciate your consideration.
• Greet – always try to say a cheerful ‘hello’ to passers-by, shop assistants or anyone who catches your eye.  This is a simple yet effective practice that works because you are acknowledging their existence.

Acknowledgement — ‘I See You’

I would like to share a story with you.  I was walking in the streets of Cape Town when a homeless man on a bench asked me for some change.

I stopped and started looking in my bag for some money.  While I was scouring my untidy bag for loose coins he started to mumble something like ‘sorry for wasting my time’ to which I replied that he could never waste my time.

He looked quite startled at this and said that I had got him wrong, he had actually said that most people tell him that he is wasting their time and was really thankful that I had even stopped to talk to him, let alone give him money.

I did manage to fish out a few coins for him, as I handed it over I apologized as it wasn’t much.  To this he replied, ‘it is not the money that has made my day, it is the fact that you even stopped to acknowledge my presence.’  I held back a bit to talk with him and he said something else that I found remarkable but understood him completely.

Don’t Judge a Book by it’s Cover

He said that he was not ‘this’ as he pointed to his disheveled clothes — referring that he was not a vagrant. 

He said that he was a soul on a journey, just like everyone else, and he has chosen this path to learn something that he still needs to figure out.  I found this man to be a truly courageous and enlightened human being who taught me something very valuable that day. 

Do not pass anyone by, make sure that the very least you give is your attention — this can be their gold nugget.

*Original article written by Cherie Roe Dirksen for Purpose Fairy — to read the original article click here and here for the second part.

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