Pay it Forward

When you think about it we have all had successes in our lives in one form or another, some that receive a great deal of notoriety and some that we ourselves are only aware of but nonetheless the event is still something to be proud of. That being said you should be grateful for everything that occurs in your life that makes each day a little more tolerable. Recently, my wife Liz and I were having dinner in a local restaurant in St. Petersburg, Florida enjoying a meal together. There was nothing particularly eventful about the occasion other than we were enjoying some quiet time and catching up with the day. Being originally from St. Petersburg, I always like to notice the different people around me to see if I may know anyone in the area but this particular Friday night we were all complete strangers. Then something fascinating came to my attention when the patrons at the table directly behind us was preparing to pay for their meal; the waitress told them their meal had been paid for in full by the people at the table directly across from them! The couple was so surprised to learn that had happened to them but they did not have the opportunity to thank the individuals for their kind gesture because they had already departed the restaurant. The gentleman was so excited he wanted to talk with someone about what just happened so he started talking to me and exclaiming his faith in humanity had been restored and I responded by saying it was a random act of kindness for the unknown benefactor to pay for the meal. The couple then departed the restaurant and I told Liz that was nice for the anonymous party to pay for the couple’s meal. I had heard of these random acts of kindness being done but never witnessed one.

Being a small business manager or owner provides a lot of opportunity to perform random acts of kindness or to pay it forward. For example, you can teach a young person the steps to owning and managing a business so maybe one day they can provide jobs in their community. Another example would be speaking at a local high school and helping kids to understand that by owning a business you become part of the community and help shape its makeup and further its financial continuity. Anything you can do to pay it forward to help others is a success for both you and the recipient and sometimes you do not need to make your efforts known by doing so as illustrated by the event occurring in the restaurant. By paying it forward, this hopefully will encourage others to do the same and this creates a continuous cycle of giving.

As I mentioned earlier I have never witnessed one of these acts until I saw it happen in the restaurant that evening and much to my surprise, I actually became the recipient of one recently when I was buying lunch about a week ago. As I was entering the establishment to order lunch, I noticed a man coming in behind me with his hands full. I stopped to hold the door for him and proceeded in to order my lunch. Upon receiving my order and preparing to pay for the meal, the cashier told me my order had been paid for and of course, I was bewildered by this and asked why. She told me she did not know and I did not have to pay for the meal because her boss paid for it. I then realized the gentleman I had just held the door for just moments ago was her boss who is the owner of the establishment. I wanted to thank him but he was nowhere in sight and I told the cashier to give him my thanks for the kind gesture as I was leaving the restaurant. As you see we can all do something to make each other’s lives a little better. So what am I doing to pay it forward?... I hope reading these management tips has been interesting and provide a little help for you. I guess there still is some hope for humanity after all. Until next time, I am Dr. Anthony Spivey, keep thinking BIG!