Why I choose to Pay it Forward
And you should too.
Think about your proudest achievements–starting a new business you started, nailing your final presentation, or receiving an internship offer from that firm you love. Now think about the people who helped you along the way, whether it was a mentor, best friend, or parent. We all have those people whose support, guidance, and inspiration allowed us to achieve our goals.
My story is similar: as a high school student who lacked direction, but there was one person who led the volunteering activities for my city somehow believed that I had more potential in me that I thought I did to create impact in my community. The belief and dedication of this one person encouraged me to start my first social impact venture in 11th grade, armed with very little knowledge of what I was doing and a whole lot of faith. And so this blind leap sparked my passion for social impact that still burns brightly now. Womentum, a nonprofit supports women in developing countries. I met others who also put their faith in me and supported me along my journey, including my co-founder Derek who encouraged me to take the plunge and start Womentum, my roommate Jamie who has listened to my many life issues late at night, and numerous other mentors and friends to thank for my success.
My support network was everything to me as a sophomore in college trying to get a budding nonprofit off the ground. Oftentimes, our support network are people who have a deep passion for the success of others. They view their support of you as a way to pay it forward, because they themselves recognize that their success today has been largely due to people who have invested time or money in them up until this point. I bet every successful person had that believed in them and sparked their initial flame.
Womentum is my way of paying it forward and hopefully inspiring others to as well by providing a medium to see your impact grow over time. I’m here because of the investment others have given me and I want to use the skills, knowledge, resources, and network I’ve been able to cultivate to help others who may not have the same.
So I urge you to find your own ways of paying it forward, whether in big ways or small, with money or time. You never know how your actions might have an impact on those around you.
Call to Action
Name someone who has paid it forward and how with #makewomentum on social media. Womentum will pick one person and give them a t-shirt!
