Pass It On

I read about the theory of passing it on many years ago. Explained simply it means you do something good for someone else and in return they do something for someone else and the cycle keeps going.

Recently, I have been teaching and the person I am teaching wanted to know how much they owed me for sharing my knowledge and time. When I said, "Nothing but to pass on your knowledge". The person was stunned, and replied to me, "But you have spent hours with me and you don't want anything for it?" They truly seemed baffled. So I explained to them the pass it on theory, and told them that someday they can pass on what I have taught them to someone who needs help. I truly believe that what we give we get. As Flora Edwards once said, "In helping others, we shall help ourselves, for whatever good we give out completes the circle and comes back to us."

And, when we find success we have a responsibility to help others. Just like someone once helps us. If you think back to your first success, you will realize that someone did help you. It might have been in a small way, but you did receive help.

I am often reminded of the quote, "you must be the change you wish to see in the world." The change I would like to see in the world is for more people to reach their full potential. So, how can I do this? Well, the website is one way for me, and teaching others is another way. If I can influence just one person, if I can make one persons life better, then I feel like I am changing the world.

When you consider the millions of people in the world, and I am only helping a few, what difference will that make you may ask? Well my thinking is that you never know that one person maybe able to help more. If we all took what we learned and helped one person, or as the theory goes, "pass it on", then the impact would be huge. As the proverb goes, "a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

If you look over the course of history, many great things were started small. If you look at successful business, they always started small and as they were successful continued to grow.

In summary, I would ask you to consider the following:
- What are you passing on?
- Do not hesitate to help even in a small way;
- What is the change you wish to see in the world, and more importantly, what are you doing to impact this?

The words of Winston Churchill are ones that I am always reminded of, "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." Pass it on, your knowledge, your literacy, your kindness, a smile, a hello, no matter how big or small, start today to pass it on.