Paying it Forward from High Vibe
What do you do when you “have” to do something? Turn it high vibe and then it becomes fun.
Paying it forward is a family value that my family has embraced whole heartedly. It began with my grandparents modeling it, then my parents continued on, with me and my husband following in their footsteps, then my kids and their spouses, and now, the grandkids are involved. Paying it forward can feel like something that you “have” to do or something that you “get” to do.
Take a look at what you get by helping others. It feels great to be able to make a difference, whether it’s by giving money or time.
I remember sitting around the kitchen table with my dad, mom, and sister as we went through the direct mail requests from various charities. Boring and not too strategic. While paying it forward can feel like a chore, it doesn’t have to.
One year my sister, her then-husband, myself, and my then-husband got together ahead of time to play a joke on my parents. We looked at all the requests and then wrote a letter using many of the catch phrases. We made up a charitable organization for the “benefit of two guys” and combined the last names to come up with the name of the organization.
Then we slipped it into the pile of requests. When my dad read it, he was laughing so hard that he had tears running down his face. He even said, “I don’t know who these guys are, but we should give them something for creativity.” (We didn’t.)
Today, we give more strategically and give to organizations that we are passionate about as a family. For example, this year we chose to honor my father-in-law, who passed this summer. He used to be a fireman, and we chose to give to an organization for firefighters in his town who have been burned.
In addition, I like to give my time to a few select organizations. Now, one of my daughters and her family do the same. My other kids help in different ways also.
We have always kept the fun going. For a while, while my boys were young, we had a football being thrown over the kitchen table as we discussed what organizations we chose to support. (Life with ADHD kids is so fun.) And now, we are rewarded with a special dinner (made by me) filled with lots of laughter.
In short, we brought high vibe to the process. So, besides feeling good in our hearts about helping others, we are also having a great time while doing it.