pay it forward

If you asked me,

“What’s one simple principle you live by that’s enough to get you through life?”

I’d say this:

Do for others what you wish they did for you.

Most people walk around hoping to be seen, heard, and appreciated…
without realizing everyone else is hoping for the same thing.

That’s the glitch.

We wait.
We expect.
We assume others will act first.

But what if you flipped it?

What if, instead of hoping someone remembered your small win, you were the one who remembered theirs?

What if you checked in, even when no one checked on you?

What if you praised someone behind their back, just because you know how good that would feel if it were done for you?

This mindset is simple. Not always easy, but simple.

You act how you wish others acted.
You treat people how you wish they treated you.
You stop waiting and start becoming the kind of person you’ve always needed.

Sometimes, it comes back around.
Someone returns the energy.
You get what you give.

But then sometimes…nothing happens.
And that’s fine too.

Because you don’t do it to keep score.
You do it because that’s who you want to be.

I’m not going to tell you it’s karmic.
That the universe will magically balance things out.
Maybe it will.
Maybe it won’t.

But let’s be honest:
It’s still better than being someone who knows how it feels to be let down,
and still chooses to make someone else feel the same.

You already know what it feels like when someone doesn't show up.
So don’t be that person for someone else.

The rule is simple.

Do for others what you wish they did for you.

Not because it’ll always come back.

But because you’ll sleep better knowing you did right, even when no one was watching.

Someone out there is hoping for the very thing you’re waiting for.
Go first.

You won’t always get it back.
But you’ll never regret being the one who gave it first.

Because at the end of the day,

You don’t control how the world treats you.
But you do control who you are within it.

Start there.