Paying It Forward With Random Acts of Kindness

I began my tech career in a factory in Evansville, IN as the sole “geek” living in a condemned (yes — condemned) apartment building for $50.00 a month with my wife, who was finishing her nursing degree. How things have changed from that humble beginning. When I look back on my career and where it has brought us, there is no way we could ever pay back the time, coaching, and support I received from my mentors.

One mentor to who I dedicated my book, Bob Davis, was the one who introduced me to the concept of paying it forward. Many years later, when I asked him how I could ever pay him back for the time and advice he gave early in my career, he laughed. He said I couldn’t pay it back but had to pay it forward.

What paying it forward means

Paying it forward is when the beneficiary of a good deed repays the kindness to others instead of to the person who helped you.

Paying it forward is when we take what we have and pass it along to someone else, so that they may benefit as we have. It’s a simple idea, but one with profound implications for our society. When we pay it forward, we create a cycle of kindness that can change the world.

It can be as simple as doing something nice for someone else, with no expectation of anything in return. Sometimes, all…