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45 Ways To Pay It Forward

It's one way to be selfless to another and to offer them good will.

Abby Graf

May 09, 2017

University of Minnesota Twin Cities

John Ogrins

Paying it forward is an everyday thing in almost everyone's life. Its one way to be selfless to another and to offer them good will. Though you can't do everything, you can do something. We all have the ability to make a difference in the world, however slight it may be. Whether it be a stranger on the street or your best friend, here are a number of ways to pay it forward and make someone smile.

1. Open the door for someone

2. Donate old clothes to Goodwill or to charity

3. Buy the person in line behind you their meal or coffee

4. Give a homeless person money or buy them a meal

5. Offer to cook dinner for someone

6. Tell your loved ones to "drive safe"

7. Cook a meal for a loved one on a special day

8. Visit the dogs in the Humane Society, it makes their day and yours a little better

9. Ask someone how their day was, check up on them

10. Thank people for doing something kind, big or small

11. Smile at people, no one likes a smug person

12. Help an elderly person do something they are unable to do

13. Give up your seat for someone on the bus or train

14. Donate blood

15. Compliment someone, tell them you like their outfit or that they look nice today

16. Tell people you are proud of them

17. Volunteer

18. Tell people when they've made a positive impact in your life

19. Babysit for someone for free

20. Help someone with their homework

21. Shovel someone's driveway

22. Visit a nursing home

23. Write a positive review online for a restaurant

24. Donate food to a food drive

25. Bring in breakfast to your place of work for all of your co-workers

26. "Adopt a Family" for Christmas

27. Give someone in line extra change if they're short on money

28. Offer to take a picture for a family who is struggling to get a group photo

29. Pay the toll fare for the person behind you

30. Add change to an expired meter

31. Donate old books to the library

32. Buy a drink from a kid's lemonade stand, it'll make them so happy, trust me

33. Help someone in need

34. Participate in community service

35. Help at a food shelf/food drive

36. Donate cat or dog food to the animal shelter

37. Buy a bag of groceries for the hungry

38. Sponsor an animal at the zoo

39. Give money to a charity

40. Mow someone's lawn

41. Sit with someone who is sitting alone

42. Clean up litter from a park

43. Give blankets to the homeless

44. Give out any extra tickets you have for free, whether it be to a play, a fair, or a convention.

45. Take people's dogs on walks if they are unable to

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.

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45 Ways To Pay It Forward

It's one way to be selfless to another and to offer them good will.

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No one best represents the struggle like our favorite 90s squad.

1. When course schedules are released and you have a conflict between two required classes.

2. When there is only one section of a popular course.

3. Receiving the 18,000 emails reminding you to register ASAP.

4. When you need to see an advisor, but they are too busy/unresponsive.

5. Trying not to dress like a bum for your appointments with your advisors/department heads.

6. When you have a perfectly planned out schedule, and one class ruins it.

7. Carefully moving things around to accommodate a different class/section.

8. Waking up at 6:00 a.m. for your enrollment time.

9. Concocting a new schedule at your enrollment time after your original plan gets changed.

10. Getting into a class and filling the last available seat.

11. When all of your classes finally go through.

12. Realizing that you forgot a class that was a pre-requisite for everything else.

When your capability of "adulting" is put to the test

Nobody deserves to be living in poverty.

"Nobody living in one of the most influential nations in the world should be worried about making ends meet."

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What are the benefits of raising the minimum wage?

What are the states that have set a $15/hour minimum wage?

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Because who understands your bitterness better than April?

1. When you have to provide an "interesting fact" for your first day ice-breaker.

2. When your professor is babbling on and on in his lecture.

3. When you edit your friend's paper and they get an A.

4. When it's 2 AM and you remember you have a test tomorrow.

5. When you finish taking the test and you're pretty sure you failed...

6. ...but then you get the test back and somehow passed.

7. When you've been up for 12 hours straight writing a paper.

8. And then you manage to stay awake in class the next day.

9. When you have to butter up your professor for an extra credit opportunity.

10. When you're assigned a group project.

11. And your group-mates are trying to chat about life instead of the assignment.

12. When it's your last class of the day and you're about to go home.

13. But then you remember rent is due tonight and the anger comes back.

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