I watched the movie “Pay It Forward” again on tv for the umpteenth time  yesterday. I never get tired of that movie. It seems like I always find something new or get a new take on something when I watch it. Usually something I already know intuitively, but I get it and see it clearer and more succinctly & definitively after the movie.

 This time it was the whole idea of helping others and who’s really benefiting who by paying it forward. On the surface, I’ve always thought it would be amazing to be involved in such a powerful movement (paying it forward) and how proud one can be about doing good deeds for others. But the whole idea of giving goes much deeper than that for me now. By offering to help someone else, I am really asking them to do me a favor by allowing me to experience the joy and “connection to source” as Wayne Dyer calls it; in being part of the universal plan.

We’re taught in our society to ‘mind your own business’ and ‘don’t make waves.’ So it seems to me that this whole notion of imagining the world as a better place and what things would be like if people started doing random acts of kindness to each other; is a child-like idea that we can better understand by getting in touch with our inner child. As Abraham-Hicks puts it: ”The little ones still remember how to use the power of their imagination. They are still engaged in the utilization of their imagination — that is one of the reasons that keeps them so exhilarated.”

This whole deeper concept of giving is epitomized in the scene where the homeless man/junkie talks to the suicidal woman before she jumps off of the bridge. Do yourself a favor and rent this movie if you haven’t seen it yet. And it’s definitely worth watching again, if you’ve already seen it. Pay close attention to the scene on the bridge. And ask yourself who’s really doing whom a favor here?

Yes, my friends; there really is a disease infecting Twitter. It’s spreading like wildfire! Twitter’s got the flu (but it’s hopefully not fatal). Symptoms of the disease include constantly spamming us with your latest and greatest product or opportunity. Always looking for the sale & viewing everyone as a prospect that you can earn money off of. There are many tweeters out there (you know who you are), who bombard us with their product  or service from the get go, including links in their welcome direct mail message to us after we follow them. As Charlie Brown used to say: “Good Grief!”

Did they ever stop to think for one second that we may be interested in getting to know the person behind the website link or sales letter? Perry Belcher has recently begun calling this “The Twitter Disease.” This all-encompassing desire to tell everyone you can as quickly as you can, why they should buy from you right now! I’ve talked to Randy Gage about this and he likens this type of ‘marketing’ to puking on someone that you’ve just met at a party or social event.

To me, what’s most offensive about this type of behavior is that it’s not caring about who you infect, as if you know what’s right for somebody else and you’re going to expose them to it whether they like it or not!

There is a better way. It’s called appreciation marketing. Offering something of value to someone because you appreciate them as a human being, think it might help them or enhance their life, and you value their friendship. What a concept! Offering something of value to someone you care about with no strings attached. Of course, to appreciate someone, you have to first get to know them & develop a relationship. But isn’t that what social media is really all about?

Hello. My goal in writing this blog is to offer something of real value to you, my readers. To leave behind a little bit of my heart & soul here, and to above all, keep it interesting.