An Inspirational New Year

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An Inspirational New Year

Every 12 months, as the New Year rolls around, we all brag about our New Year's resolutions. With inflated chests and with all the authority we can muster, we announce to any and every available ear, that we're going to lose weight, stop drinking and smoking so much, as well as, spend more time with our family, in addition to investing more time down at the gym.

Mostly, our vision extends no further than our own noses. To add insult to injury, we usually don't follow through on our "Me Orientated" resolutions and goals. In a matter of months, and sometimes even weeks, we've forgotten all about our "new improved" character, which results in feelings of frustration and failure. Most experts tell us not to elevate our expectations too high. On the other hand, perhaps we fail because we don't set out goals high enough.

What if we looked outward instead of inward when making our declarations? Would we then be able to complete a year feeling satisfied, rather than contemptuous about ourselves? I'd like to take a risk and suggest one resolution that might last a year, or maybe even a lifetime. A resolution that makes you feel good about yourself, whilst simultaneously including others.

It's not my idea, so I don't want to take any credit for it. In fact, the idea originated from a movie called Pay It Forward, directed by Mimi Leder. If there's one movie you need to see this year, that's the one.

The idea is simple. You do something good for other people. These people cannot repay you. They are encouraged to "pay it forward" instead. In turn, doing something good for someone else. And so on and so forth. The mathematics are simple. If I do something constructive for three people and those three people in turn do something for three other people, we have already impacted nine people in total. Those nine people will make a difference in 27 peoples' lives, which in their turn, will touch 81 peoples' hearts. See how fast it grows?! Until today, this simple mathematical principle was abused through multi-level marketing and pyramid schemes. This year, you can use the same principle to make the world a better place.

Of course, there will be those people that break the chain. However, others still will reach out and touch more people than you could possibly imagine. Just open your heart and give. Trust in the goodness of man and allow yourself to be overwhelmed. There are many ways to touch a person's heart. An action, a hug, a word, a smile. Go ahead and make someone's day. See how it makes you feel. Then when they smile back and thank you, ask them to pay it forward!

--Nisandeh Neta