Along with all the tubing last week was time for some of the kids to learn how to water ski. It’s one of those things that looks easy enough until you’re in the water just trying to keep your feet from splitting apart! No matter how much you explain…keep your arms straight, don’t pull back, let the boat pull you up, keep crouched down until you get your skis balanced and up on the water, keep your legs together…you can do it!...none of it really means a thing until you are the one in the water with the skis on your feet! It would take 2 minutes to get the skis on and the rope in the right place… and then a split second for the boat to rev up to pull you before getting dumped back in the water…and over and over and over again! The kids would get tired just getting themselves reset only to get knocked down again. Some were able to stand up after a couple of tries and a few never did…yet…but there’s always next time!
After a couple hours of doing little donuts, I asked Uncle Brad…. you must be tired of doing nothing but revving up and doing donuts! Thanks for being so patient! You know what his response was? “I remember 30 years ago when someone else was pulling the boat waiting patiently for me to figure out how to stand up!” It was his way of saying… I’m just paying it forward! It’s easy to have patience for others when you know that others were patient for you at some point.
There are all kinds of stories of when people would meet Mary Kay...they’d have all kinds of things ready to say and then when the time would actually come all that would ever come blubbering out is…”Thank you Mary Kay!” Her response was always “just pass it on”! Really there are 2 perspectives on this…
1) Be grateful – take the time to be aware of all the people around you who are taking the time to mentor you… to be patient with you…to teach you… to choose to spend time with you. The greatest gift someone can give you is their love & time and yet, those are gifts that are both immeasurable and priceless. They are definitely gifts that are often overlooked.
2) Pay it forward – every chance you get, take the time to give someone else a leg up. You may be new at what you do, but I guarantee, there is always someone younger and/or newer than you are. It doesn’t take very much effort to make someone else feel welcome or to reassure another person. Remember that no matter how much further you have to go, there is always someone who would be grateful to be where you currently are or to achieve what you have already achieved. Make an effort to remember how much of a difference a kind word made to you and repay that kindness by offering it to someone else.
In Mary Kay, we are not “go-getters”, we are “go-givers”. There is no limit to the amount of love in your heart so don’t be afraid to give it away. I dare you to be a blessing in other peoples’ lives every single day… I know you’ll find that you’ll be blessed in the process. Learning new things is inspirational, using it gives you experience and teaching it to someone else develops wisdom.
None of us makes it to the top without the help of others. Take time today to thank those who have given you a leg up and then turn around and give that person the greatest gift… pay it forward!
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