It’s an election year in the U.S. and an Olympic year around the globe.
That means dollars invested in marketing have gone up. Way up. Unfortunately that means marketing message inundation interrupting you every day.
It’s great to have strategic alliances and create partnerships with causes that make a difference in the world, but what if you don’t need to say, “Look at me. Look what I’m doing and how much I’m giving.”
What if giving from your business can sometimes be random and even anonymous?
I’ve found that this can create a sense of energy and personal strength that’s authentic and organic. It’s a way to get yourself as a business owner back into the flow of giving and receiving.
Take a look at the video below and how my kiddos and I found a way to share the love.
(Click above to watch the video.)
After viewing the video, comment below on ideas or things you’ve done to randomly give, or something you can do in the next week or two to randomly give without thinking about what you might get back.
The article and video are from Heart of Business star practitioner Jason Stein. He has a superpower that helps his clients easily muster people to help support and promote their businesses, and his clients have a funny habit of doubling their income. If you want his help, or want to just schedule a conversation, check him out here.
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31 Responses
Hi Jason. What fascinated me about this is how the random giving prompted others to give. I’m going to sit in remembrance with what I personally can give, and also what my business can give. Thank you.
@ Elinor – Isn’t it amazing as Molly comments below how generosity begets generosity. Please come back and share what you’ve found in remembrance. 🙂
Hi Jason,
Wow, your post was so timely. I am currently re-reading “Invisible acts of power. Personal choices that create miracles” By Caroline Myss. It is all about acts of giving and service to others. I love to give smiles to people and I also love to send people cards in the post just to say “I am thinking of you” – we use email communication so often but actually getting a hand-made card in the post feels ‘speacial’ in some way.
Thank you for your video-reminder. It has made me want to do more.
@ Ani – Thanks for your comment. Your words here are a great reminder: I also love to send people cards in the post just to say
making people happy is the way of giving love. Happiness derives from making other people happy.
@ Elaine – What if we all changed the mantra “What’s in it for me?” to “How can I serve today?” Talk about a happiness explosion.
Hi Jason, Great idea, what a wonderful experience for your children! No “marketing-effect” for your business, but such a healing effect for your heart and the hearts of others in our materialistic world. It is like sowing grains – many of them will grow and bring rich harvest. As Christian, I strongly believe in the healing principle of anonymous good deeds.
That reminds me of the “Pay it Forward Day” here in UK and in many other countries – not anonymous, but also great: The idea comes from the novel, and subsequent film,
Hi Jutta,
It was interesting that although there was no marketing intention of me sharing, random doors opened up the same week. Funny how synergy of giving and receiving works. Thanks for the website share!
Hi Jason
Loved this video and letting us share the experience with you and your children. And what a wonderful example for them of giving and paying it forward, love it!
I read on someone’s blog once about posting out a book you love and have found helpful to a random address once, and said I would do it, but stil haven’t. I have a spare copy of a book like that, so I will. But there is a part of me that wants to see their face and know if it was helpful, so I will sit with that in Remembrance and see what that’s all about.
What is fantastic about the pay it forward idea is the generosity it evokes in others, oh for a world just like that.
@Sheela – It’s amazing how giving like posting out the book, opens up space to something we’ve been holding onto and creates a new opening for new things to be received. Comment back when you’ve posted out so we can celebrate with you and await whatever surprises gets returned to you.
My sister does something like this and has for many years. When she gets to the toll booth on her commute she pays for the person behind her. I love thinking of all those people feeling happily surprised and then passing it on in some way! In my fledgling massage practice (starting up again after time off for family) I decided to create a new tipping policy. To be clear, I never expect tips but some clients really want to tip me. In my client information I ask that in lieu of tips, people donate to one of two charities I list or to the charity of their choice. I feel that this honors the client’s heartfelt desire to tip me and moves energy in a good way.
@Sarah I LOVE this. Imagine being that person going to pay for the toll and having the toll booth operator smiling saying. You’ve been paid for. And great idea for a tipping policy. I do wonder if the extra step of finding the charity and contributing could be eased by having your clients tip you with a notice that says all tips are paid forward to these charities.
I am an animal trainer and something I do is save horses. I needed to save 8 horses that came off Taos Pueblo. So all I needed was land and a person who was a willing guardian. A man I knew who had been a paramedic but due to an accident had received traumatic brain injury lived alone out on the mesa. I gave him two of the horses and 500$ worth of hay. That was last year. Today he tells me how much the horses have saved him from the isolation and depression he is subject to. I just had save the horses, move them, and pay for his hay. I bet there are lots of people out there doing this. I am only an animal trainer.
@Jane – My family had horses as kids and my sister still does in Guadalupita, NM. From my experience, I’m guessing your generosity saved a man’s life. You are now an animal trainer and a life saver.
Nice! Brought tears to my eyes, and a smile to my face…
@ Sue – Comments like yours are what make Vlogging worth it!
Awesome gesture! And I love it that your kids are involved. Generosity always begets more generosity. I’m officially reminded to do something like this today!
I
WOW! Jason the awesomeness of this random act goes without saying. I am so thrilled that your kids were a part of it. I recently began a practice of giving something to everyone I encounter (even if it is a smile or a silent blessing). You had me immediately thinking “how can I give MORE today”. I’m going through some challenges at the moment, so I am grateful for this video, as it has snapped me out of the “me me me” mantra.
@Breanda – Here is to the new mantra “Us, us, us!”
Yes. That.
“Us – Us – Us!”
Off now to find a beautiful “Practice Random Kindness and Senseless Acts of Beauty” bumper sticker. Had one decades ago, need one again NOW !
Bright Blessings ~
My nieces are coming to visit this weekend and I’m inspired to do random acts of kindness with them. Great inspiration, Jason!
@Pam – kids are amazing at passing it forward because they really get it. Have fun and please post back what randomness you decided to play with.
Hey Jason- a lovely way to start my day! There’s a couple of interpersonal communication theory that you’ve just illustrated! Emotional contagion theory says we mirror what we experience in others emotionally. You’re grumpy so I get that way too. Maybe there should be a kindness contagion theory?
Love this – have done it myself, more random than I’d like, yet what’s nice reminder. Kind of like life tithing. Give and all things shall come back yo you.
Peace friend!
@Julia – wow “Kindness Contagion Theory” and “Life Tithing” you are creating a new and amazing language.
It will melt a lot of hearts if we send it to everyone on our e-mail list.
Ron
@Ron, I guess that becomes great Marketing. Share love and it get’s shared.
Hi Jason,
What a great idea and fun adventure–also a great way to involve your children in random acts of kindness and paying it forward. I would have loved to see the expressions on the faces of the people who were the recipients of your random act of kindness. I’m not quite clear on how it would be tied back to marketing though, if the random acts of kindness are done anonymously. Since I have a sole proprietorship and technically my business and I are one and the same entity, perhaps my personal random acts of kindness are also those of my business. if I notice an error on a website that could potentially undermine the person’s professional credibility, sometimes I’ll send them an email from my personal rather than business email address and just politely let them know about the error so they can fix it if they so choose.
Sometimes I think the kindest thing we can do for others when we’re out and about is to really acknowledge their presence and listen to them if they want to chat for a few minutes. I think sometimes we can get so caught up in our electronic devices and social media we forget to connect with the living, breathing souls in front of us, yet reaching out and forging connections with others (in 3-D, not just virtually) as fellow/sister human beings is really the foundation for any heart-centred entrepreneur’s business.
You and other readers here might be interested in checking out a website called Daily Good, run by a not-for-profit group called Service Space. in the East Bay area of San Francisco. They have quite the random kindness campaign going.
Sue, I’ve never seen the Daily Good. Great to see a place to get news that inspires. Thanks for the share. Acknowledging strangers – smiling and listening to them is an excellent way to spread kindness.
Hi Jason,
Thank you 🙂 I don’t know if you’ve done more video’s, but this is the first video I saw. It nice to make your acquaintance! To see how enthousiastic you are with your kids in this adventure is really inspiring. The sense of adventure is contagious and for me a really nice start this morning.
Nicole
Hi Nicole,
Thanks for the comment. I do have other videos and more to come. Here is to New Adventures 🙂