Goal Achievement Strategies

How to Change the World

A question can be considered beautiful for any number of reasons, however I prefer to focus on beautiful questions that are ambitious, adaptable and actionable.

Here’s my beautiful question…and if you’ll indulge me on this idea, your life will be better…and I mean bigger, better and far more beautiful because of it.

How can we positively impact the world through intentional acts of kindness?

Here’s my beautiful answer…focus on the principle of serial reciprocity.

Reciprocity is defined as a mutual exchange. It simply explains that that when someone gives you something or does something for you, that you feel an obligation to give back and return the favor.

Serial reciprocity is exactly what one might expect – a series of sequential exchanges between parties.

This set of exchanges is unique because they do not occur between two people in a closed quid pro quo arrangement.

Instead, serial reciprocity is “when people repay the benefits they have received – for example, from a parent, friend, mentor, anonymous stranger, or a previous generation – by providing benefits to a third party, someone other than their benefactor”

PAYING IT FORWARD

Serial reciprocity differs from other forms of reciprocity because the original donor or volunteer does not receive anything tangible, measurable or immediate in return for his or her initial good deed.

I define serial reciprocity as, “the principle that says we should repay the good works and contributions done for us by the good works and contributions we, in turn, do for others”

Thus, in serial reciprocity, individuals “pay it forward” INSTEAD of paying it back.

In the film Pay it Forward, a teacher asks his young students to fix what they don’t like about the world. A student, Trevor, completes the assignment by helping three people.

In return, he asks only that each individual help three more people, and request that they do the same. Trevor hopes to change the world one action at a time using the principle of serial reciprocity to begin an unending chain of positive events.

Here’s where the ambitious, adaptable and actionable part comes into the equation.

THE 7-DAY BENEVOLENCE CHALLENGE

I’d like to invite you to enthusiastically participate in the 7-Day Benevolence Challenge…a life-changing challenge whereby you will engage in a series of random acts of benevolence and expect nothing (other than a warm fuzzy feeling inside) in return.

Read More HERE…