Are You Paying It Forward?

Which sentence best describes your normal mindset when presented with a challenging opportunity? Is it: “Do to others as you would have them to do you?” Or…is more like: “Do it to others before they can do it to me?”

This isn’t a test, I just wanted you to check your pulse about your possible answer to the question: “Are You Paying It Forward?”

Before we got started…
The term “pay it forward” has been described as “the concept of asking that a good turn be repaid by having it done to others.” The great thing about this concept is that anybody of any age can “pay it forward” to anybody else for any reason.

It really is that simple.

Watch this YouTube clip from the 2000 movie Pay It Forward and you’ll see exactly what I mean. (Note: after you play the video be sure to hit the “back” button in your browser in order to come back to the blog. Otherwise you will be back at your desktop again and we all know how boring that can be.)

In the world of Voice Over, no matter if you have been doing this part-time for 25 days or full-time for 25 years, each and every one of us has the opportunity to “pay it forward” to somebody else in our “community”. If you tend to doubt that statement just ask yourself: “Has anybody ever complimented my work, encouraged me, directed me, helped me with a technical question, gave me a marketing idea, referred me to a great website, introduced me to a potential client, gave me advice on an agent, sent me some demos to listen too, asked me for my advice about a project, recommended a teacher coach or mentor, or just sat quiet with me while I vented?”

If the answer is YES to even one of those questions, then guess what? You can “pay it forward” by sharing your experiences with somebody else…starting today. All you have to do is to give yourself permission and go for it.

In everyday life, when you “pay it forward” it helps you to help somebody else and that makes you both feel good. Period. In the big picture what does it do? “Pay it forward” makes our Voice Over community (or any community for that matter) bigger, better, stronger, and more united.

Personally I’ve never seen a business community, other than Voice Over, where people of all levels of experience do indeed ” pay it forward ” on such a consistent basis. It’s almost like an unspoken mantra with VO folks. I didn’t see it in radio, the automotive industry, the newspaper world, the political word, with chambers of Commerce or in the corporate marketing world nearly to the level that I see it in the Voice Over world. That alone makes me very proud to be a member of the VO community.

No matter what “community” you belong too it’s never too late to “pay it forward” so if you aren’t already doing it…why not start today?

By the way, if you like the idea but struggle with the term “pay it forward” and its rather lengthy definition, you may find it easier to just call it “The Golden Rule”. Luke 6 ³¹Do to others as you would have them do to you. (NIV)

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With gratitude,
David Brower

Mission Statement : To Build Lasting Mutually Beneficial Relationships By Delivering a Quality Audio Product With Exceptional Customer Service Locally, Nationally, Globally.

Have a comment, suggestion, or an idea for a podcast, please email me:
David@DavidBrowerVO.com

With gratitude,
David Brower

Mission Statement: To Build Lasting Mutually Beneficial Relationships by Delivering a Quality Audio
Product with Exceptional Customer Service Locally, Nationally, Globally.
© 2018 David Brower – www.DavidBrowerVO.com

About the author

David Brower