Pay it Forward

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Shelter From The Storm

I just spent a couple of hours cooking two meals, one for tonight and one for tomorrow in the company of a dear old friend, Blood On The Tracks by Bob Dylan, and like so many times over the years it struck a number of notes with me; and so a brief thought odyssey accompanied by Bob….

“They say the darkest hour is right before the dawn” (Meet me in the morning)

Someone really smart said that you can never be truly happy until you are doing what you were built to do. This got me to thinking that I can do many things, I do do many things, but especially in my work I haven’t always been heading towards what I am built to do. This changed last year when we launched a collaborative project to help people build their businesses. Nevertheless the change has been painful, but I think we are getting there.

“I can change, I swear, oh, oh, See what you can do. I can make it through, You can make it too.” (You’re a big girl now)

I’m sure you can see from the other entries in this blog that a lot of what I do leans towards helping others. I guerilla garden to help the community and I pay-it-forward to help individuals worse off than myself. The realignment of my work is to ensure that I carry all of this thinking through to my business – helping others grow, helping others help their customers. In Tim Templeton speak I think I am moving towards being a relationship-relationship person.

“then he walked up to a stranger and he asked him with a grin, Could you kindly tell me, friend, what time the show begins? ” (Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts)

Well it has already! As well as the initiative to help businesses grow I’m working on a cunning plan to help businesses appreciate their existing customers more, and to appreciate and be grateful for the referrals they receive in a more concrete way. Wouldn’t it be nice to meet past and future customers who say “I remember you, you sent me a postcard/gift/thank you note”? I had one of those today.

“Try imagining a place where it’s always safe and warm. Come in, (s)he said, I’ll give you shelter from the storm.” (Shelter from the storm)

This is where I am heading to, so tell me what you think. Business by kindness, politeness and attention to those that we meet is a great way forward. Matching this better to personal ways of doing things has to be my way forward.

“I can’t help it if I’m lucky.” (Idiot wind)

Thanks Bob, good to hear you again. Why no words from “If you see her say hello” you ask? I’m saving that for a tattoo. This is me by the way:

Phil Terrett Cartoon

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Keep up with me?

So that is the challenge I gave to the team at work when we got back after Christmas and that’s the kind of year it’s a gonna be!

This isn’t a work blog, its a me blog, but as I don’t really do long lists of New Year resolutions I thought it was worth saying what is going on and what is going to be going on this year – it is a big big year this year.

We have two companies which grew 50% in the last financial year. That is great but not enough. The challenge to the team in the companies is to keep up with me during this year whilst we transform the companies and achieve a multiple of that growth rate this time around.

The family is likely to be starting a new business this year – not me so much as the rest of them, so watch this space! Looking for a Wales based cartoonist to help out.

I’m writing a book in my (yeah I know) spare time – does anyone know of a fledgling graphics person who might like to get involved?

I have a list of things that are not resolutions but are more things I would like to fit in this year:

Restart Tai Chi (lessons already booked)

Do more Paying it Forward

Do lots more Guerrilla Gardening

Try wild swimming

Get a tattoo

Drop a belt size

Have a really good holiday this summer

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7 Pay It Forward ideas

So it’s cold, it’s wet and it’s miserable outside, and you are all tucked up inside a warm house with a nice cup of coffee. Here are some ways that you can get out there and help others:

  1. Buy your Big Issue seller a cup of hot chocolate. These people work hard to try and change their circumstances. How many people must walk past before one buys a copy, how demoralising must that be for them?
  2. Pick up a piece of litter a day. It is not difficult and it can make a small difference. There is a guy in Wales who decided to clear his town of litter and is now a national hero.
  3. Give away an umbrella. Retractable umbrellas are only a few pounds. Buy one from a cheap shop and carry it in your bag. When you see someone struggling in the rain give them an umbrella – the effect on the person will be massively more than the few pounds you spent.
  4. Send a handwritten note to someone to say thank you or give encouragement – this is so much more personal than online communication and shows the person that you are really thinking about them.
  5. Take a step back. Next time you are in a queue let the person behind you go in front of you – give them the gift of a little more time.
  6. Guerrilla garden for your community. No one needs know that you are doing this, just pick a neglected area of land in your community and tidy it up or plant it. If you have a bigger project recruit others to help.
  7. Buy extra, make a box and donate. Plenty of Charities run Christmas appeals where they send boxes of food or children’s packs to those in need. Make it a habit to buy an extra item each time you shop to fill up one of these boxes.

Pay it Forward can be a little cloying or sugary. To me it does two things. Firstly it helps someone else, usually in a small way and quite often in an anonymous way. This is important to me, as I don’t really want thanks; just to know that I did something worthwhile. Secondly as a self-improvement tool, it helps me constantly change and move myself onwards by thinking outside of my day-to-day life. I don’t do sugary, but I can stand in the rain and hand out umbrellas!

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Emily goes zorbing

How cool is this? A short while ago I had some tickets to go zorbing and couldn’t get there before the deadline on the tickets. I tweeted them in a first come, first served free zorbing ticket offer – thinking people wouldn’t want them in case it was a scam.

Emily M was the first to reply and off went the tickets. Well she went zorbing:

and she tweeted this: “@PhilTerrett – We went zorbing on Saturday – was SO much fun!!!! Thanks so much again for the tickets. Hope you had a good weekend?”

Some days being human is just fine:) Hashtag that.