A Virus You WANT to Spread

On July 30, 2009 in Uncategorized

As the title of this article implies, I’d like to talk to you about a brand new virus that everyone would benefit from being infected by.

As you are probably already aware, when an individual is infected with a virus, two things are generally true. ONE - they show nearly identical symptoms to the individual who infected them. TWO - It doesn’t take all that long before they will almost certainly infect numerous other people with the exact same virus, thereby causing them to display very similar symptoms. These two viral characteristics are precisely what I would like to discuss with you here regarding an entirely new virus that could potentially “heal the world” (or at least a large part of it).

The “Pay it Forward” Virus

You’ve probably heard the phrase “pay it forward” at least once in your life. The fact that this phrase is so widely recognized is likely due to you having seen or heard of a movie which was filmed nearly 10 years ago, bringing the book “Pay it Forward” to the big screen. In the movie (and the book that preceded it), the phrase “Pay it Forward” was meant to mean that an individual should, when a good deed was done for them, pay it FORWARD to three new people, as opposed to paying it BACK.

Of course, this “paying it forward” ideal is nowhere near new (nor was it when the book was penned). It actually pre-dates even the well respected Ben Franklin who described “paying it forward” in the following manner:

“I do not pretend to give such a Sum; I only lend it to you. When you […”> meet with another honest Man in similar Distress, you must pay me by lending this Sum to him; enjoining him to discharge the Debt by a like operation, when he shall be able, and shall meet with another opportunity. I hope it may thus go thro’ many hands, before it meets with a Knave that will stop its Progress. This is a trick of mine for doing a deal of good with a little money.”

It is also useful to recognize, I believe, that “paying it forward” shouldn’t always have to involve the giving of money or assisting with physical labor, although, in many cases, it does. A much simpler approach to the “pay it forward” model is explained in great detail on my new site WhyTheCards.com, but here is the premise of the site (and the vision) in brief.

Encouragement & Appreciation Can Make a HUGE Impact

Back in the early 1900s, Andrew Carnegie needed someone to head up the newly formed United States Steel Company. To fill the important position, he chose Charles Schwab and started him at a salary of $1,000,000 per year or approximately $3,000 per DAY (during a period when $3,000/YEAR would have been an excellent wage).

According to the new president, he was offered this incredibly hefty salary because he knew how to appreciate people and draw out their best qualities.

Said Schwab, “I consider my ability to arouse enthusiasm among my people the greatest asset I possess, and the way to develop the best that is in a person is by appreciation and encouragement.”

The entire premise of WhyTheCards.com is to take that powerful idea of recognizing and appreciating people’s gifts and apply it in a really simple way that can quickly “infect” dozens, hundreds, thousands or even millions of individuals and turn them into chronic encouragers, always looking for ways to affirm and uplift the people around them.

As Simple as Mailing a Greeting Card

Many people would probably be surprised to discover what a powerful impact a simple card can have on a friend who’s just had a ridiculously difficult day or is wrestling with a serious personal or family tragedy - or even on someone who’s just had a really good day. For example, just a card to point out something special about their personality that really makes them unique. Thank them for something nice they did for you or someone you know. Congratulate them on a recent graduation or just tell them you’ve been thinking about them.

You could even send a postcard to suggest that you’d like to get together for breakfast this Monday or to let them know not to make dinner this Friday since you’ll be making it for them. Even better, use your note as an opportunity to encourage them to pay it forward and help someone else. As unlikely as it may seem, helping someone else is often one of the most effective ways to make YOURSELF feel better (although that should never be your primary motivation for helping).

Most people could use a reminder that they are special and have value and that they have gifts that not a single other person on earth has which could be used to help people. It does not matter how old or young they are, how sick they might happen to be, how difficult their life may currently be, how many mistakes they may have made, they STILL have a great deal to offer, but nobody will know that unless they actually offer it. It need not even require alot of time or money to encourage someone. A very simple card can mean alot and might be just what the doctor ordered.

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