Last Updated on June 23, 2012 by John Morehouse

So a little off subject, ok, rather a philosophy that I have.  Pay It Forward.  The premise of the concept that is the reward for a good deed is repaid to another versus being repaid to you.  In a sense, if you help one person, they in turn will help another person so forth down the line.  In time, your one good deed could lead to hundreds or thousands of additional good deeds.

Anyway, this past Friday I was sitting at my local Ford dealership getting the oil changed on my Ford Edge (Love my Edge!) when I happened to over hear a conversation between the shop manager and a fellow customer, who happened to be a very nice woman.  Apparently her transmission on her vehicle was having some issues, to the tune of $1000+.

Now, being connected as I am (I know just about anybody in any given field) I reached out to my buddy who happens to work on transmissions and asked if I could send this fellow customer to his shop to at least get an honest answer.  Of course, this does not imply in any way shape or form that the dealer was dishonest, but knowing of a place to go for a second opinion is critical, especially when a thousand dollars (plus!) is on the line. I know that I would be grateful if someone did the same for me.

I chatted with my buddy and gave the woman his name and my name, the name of the shop and said that if you want a straight answer, he’ll give it to you.  If anything else, she can get her vehicle checked out and make an informed decision.  When my oil change was completed, she offered me a firm handshake and a smile and said Thanks.

Anyway, on my way home, I started to think about people “Paying It Forward”.  I started to wonder if that little interaction would have a ripple affect down the road and affect someone else’s life.  I will probably never know, but it’s the thought that counts right? Even if I didn’t in this case, I’ll still continue to pay it forward when I think the time is right.

The point of the story is that you don’t have to go far out of your way to make a difference in someone life.  For me, this instance, a simple phone call and saying hello to a stranger might have made a difference.  So, reach out, say hello, maybe give a smile. What’s to lose? Probably nothing, but what’s to gain? Everything!

Who knows, the life you change might be your own some day. Especially if we were all to pay it forward and karma likes to come around . . .

© 2011 – 2012, John Morehouse. All rights reserved.

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