The Ripple Effect of Paying It Forward

Have you ever noticed how making someone else’s day has a funny way of making your own day brighter?

That, my fellow mindful travellers, is the magic of paying it forward.

Sometimes it is as simple as buying a coffee for the person behind you, offering a genuine compliment, helping a neighbour, sharing your time, or simply noticing someone who could use a little kindness.

I recently spent time at Neighbourly Coffee in Fredericton N.B founded by Marcel Le Brun, along with the tiny homes project, 12 Neighbours, that is his passion project. What struck me most wasn’t just the project itself it was the idea behind it: using something you are passionate about to make life a little better for someone else.

And that got me thinking…

What if we all had a passion project? It doesn’t have to be building tiny homes. Maybe your passion is cooking, gardening, art, music, teaching, mentoring, welcoming newcomers, helping seniors, supporting a neighbour, or simply spreading a little joy wherever you go. Your passion project might change one person’s day.

That person might change someone else’s, and suddenly, kindness starts travelling.

One person. One good deed. One community at a time. That is the passion project behind Ms. Mindful Traveller: spreading positivity in the world. Through every Mindful Moment, I hope to remind you that we all have the ability to leave people, places and communities just a little brighter than we found them.

So here is my challenge for you:

What is YOUR passion project?

What is something you love that could make someone else’s life a little better? Find it. Start it. Share it.

When we pay it forward, we discover something wonderful! Kindness is one of the few things that grows every time you give it away. The greatest souvenir we can leave behind is the feeling that someone cared. Until our paths cross again, keep travelling mindfully, keep spreading kindness, and remember your little ripple might create a very big wave. Spreading positivity, one mindful moment at a time.

Passionately yours, Ms. Mindful Traveller

12 Neighbours founder wants to build ‘rapidly deployable’ transitional housing | CBC News