 |
| Susan Jane Smith |
The last day of July saw
me posting “Pay it Forward” on www.Goodreads.com
as a discussion item because I am curious.
What do you think this phrase means?
What do you do to “pay it forward”?
In April people from
Goodreads entered a competition to win 3 copies of my book Emotional Health for EmotionalWealth. The response was overwhelming for me and I had to stick to
sending off just 3 of the paperbacks due to the cost of postage.
Now, in order to “pay it forward” I’ve just
sent all the other entrants a free e-book copy and told them about the free app
on my revised website so that they can read e-books on their computers, phones, iPads etc. Praise for the book, and
great reviews, would be lovely especially if they lead on to mega sales! No expectations, but lots of hope!
“Pay it forward” is a phrase
that keeps getting my attention, and so far I have not come across any
explanations about it - have you?
For me
it seems like a spiritual practice of giving in advance of getting. Presumably you must be willing to give
without strings - a bit like unconditional love.
Sadly, unconditional love
is actually quite rare. People tend to
say the words “I love you” when they want sex, appreciation, validation or
something else back. I am not saintly
enough to “pay it forward” without crossing my fingers that I might get some
more book sales, particularly of Emotional Health for Emotional Wealth, as
I believe it can improve people’s lives.
So, if you would be willing to read it, write a review
and publish that review somewhere (I already have plenty on my website) then I
would be happy to share a free e-book copy with you.
Email:Susan@EmotionalHealthForEmotionalWealth.co.uk
Thanks.
4 comments:
I first came across the phrase through the film of the same name (with Haley Joel Osment and Kevin Spacey I think). I think you're right that there it involves giving before getting but for me the getting part needs to be removed altogether. I recently interviewed the artist Trevor Barton (http://eightcuts.com/2012/05/22/points-of-stillness/) and one of the things we talked about was an economy based entirely on generosity not acquisition - outflowing not inflowing
The meaning is a bit more specific, Dan: it does mean giving, but in the sense of giving on to someone else (giving 'forward')) rather than paying someone back for what they've given you - not limited to money, of course.
Having finished my work for the day - a paltry few sentences, alas! - I'm going to have a look at that Barton interview of yours right now. Sounds interesting.
Ah, yes, that's it. A great way to keep the giving going continually rather than closing the circle each time
I first heard of it in that film too: I think it's a lovely idea.
Post a Comment