Happy Flashback Friday! We go back to four years ago this week, when Cara met honeymooners, Theresa and Stephen through a flip challenge to pay it forward, on her original project. As fate (or serendipity!) would have it, their paths continue to cross, and the couple interviewed Cara for their podcast Ownstream just the other day.
Check out the original story that brought their paths together. Who can you pay it forward to today?
Today's Challenge: Pay It Forward
Originally Published on The Flip Files, May 23, 2013
Ubud is a pay-it-forward kind of town, where blissed out ex-pats strike up conversations out of curiosity, and karmic admonishments litter stores, bathrooms and yoga studios. It’s the kind of place where you just want to give, whether it’s a smile or a compliment, or an hour of time or a cup of tea.
What a perfect challenge for such a connected and charismatic place: “Pay it forward. Find your favorite little treat (a cupcake equivalent) and but two; one for you and one for the next person.”
This being Bali, I enjoyed pre-yoga juices with my new favorite newlyweds. This challenge has reaffirmed a new perspective on money, likely coming to fruition from spending time in a lot of Buddhist countries, and a comment from a friend during my time in India: “My measure of success when I die will be having $0 in my bank account, because that will mean that I did everything I possibly could have while I was alive.”
A desire to connect and give has edged its way into a penchant to collect and control. Which begs the question — what is money, anyway? A symbol of success? A measure of worth? A tool for joy? My experience in the past three months has shown that the more often I give, the more I get back. I’m not advocating debt-inducing sums to my Christian Louboutin Foundation, but giving where I can, treating when I wouldn’t and investing in experiences has opened much more than my pocketbook. Money is a cycle, and the more I share, the more likely I am to be shared with, financially, emotionally and physically.
Amanda, thanks for the great challenge. Steven and Theresa, congratulations and here’s to a future of wedded bliss. Can’t wait to hear your pay it forward story!
Who could you pay it forward to today?