Pay it Forward Fall: Start Kindness Journal

Gary Chapman's Love as a Way of Life, an excerpt...

We may not ever see the results of our sacrifice when we act kindly, but authentic love calls us to serve others simply,because we know that one act of service can change lives.

My write-or-die chick, Rhonda McKnight is one of the kindest women I've met. Not only is she the president of our ACFW VIP Chapter, but she mentors and helps upcoming writers through the manuscript process, while raising a teenage son, a toddler sweetie and working a full-time job. She sells our write-or-die chicks books every where she goes: beauty salons, grocery stores, you name it. She understands this Pay it Forward Concept based on Catherine Ryan Hyde's novel and Gary Chapman's observation.

My friend, Tammy Allen is not only an accomplished singer and partner of C3Marketing, Inc, a PR firm in Atlanta, she has a great site called Do Good Every Day. It's based on her song, "Every Day People." It's a Pay it Forward Concept also. You can nominate your family and friends who have done great deeds to receive an award. Please stop by her site. She has a great contest with a $1,000 grandprize to the winnder.

As writers, as sisters and bros in Christ, I wonder this fall what great things we could do if we made Paying it Forward apart of our Fall Goals? I know we all have plans to write a novel, get published, become a screenwriter, solopreneur, whatever...But imagine what we can do if we turn our focus to helping people we haven't met yet?

Perhaps we could encourage a writer, take on a free client, ask a library to stock an author's book, I don't know. What I do know, however, is with the world we live in and the pain that people have felt this past week it wouldn't hurt to be kinder this fall season. Right?

So I will start with me. Today I will begin a Kindness Journal. In this journal I will record all acts and words of kindness that I have observed throughout the day, as well as record the acts of service I have done through the week. Every other Tuesday I will report my Kindness Journal to you with hopes that you share yours with me.