Pay It Forward: Ideas to Change the World One Deed at a Time

We’re constantly being deluged with mood-breaker stories of wars, crimes and deaths day after day, but the web has shown us that the world isn’t such a bad place after all, as we witnessed here and here (at a Starbucks drive-thru). Keep the chain reaction going by making it a goal to spread more good deeds in 2014:

“Our acts make or mar us, we are the children of our own deeds.” – Victor Hugo

“The game of life is a game of boomerangs. Our thoughts, deeds and words return to us sooner or later with astounding accuracy.” -Florence Scovel Shinn

6 Great Ways to Pay It Forward:

1. Keep a few granola bars in your car with a nice message on a post-it note for those uncomfortable red-light stops when a homeless man asks for change and you guiltily do nothing because you’re afraid they might use your money for their quick fix habits.
2. When you’re at a cafe and you see someone who could use a little cheering up or an extra snack, buy them a drink or pastry and have the barista deliver it to them with a note, signed by anonymous.
3. After dining at a restaurant and the bill comes, don’t just add the tip but write a nice little message or small gift if they did a good job. The service industry is hard business. It’ll make their day.
4. LA traffic can bring out your bad side. If someone wants to come into your lane, just let them. It’ll inspire them to do the same to others.
5. You go to work and see the same security guard or janitor daily. Break up their monotonous day and buy them a cup of coffee to show you appreciate them.
6. When you’re exiting a paid parking garage, pay for the ticket of the car behind you.

Make your deeds contagious and infectious. It’ll do you and the world good one action at a time…