HW: #MondayMotivation; Make a difference by acting today. Start the “feel good” chain by paying it forward.

It is Monday morning. Chances are that you are not where you want to be, doing something you are less than excited about. Mondays are perfect scapegoats. It feels good to blame your bad mood or laziness on a Monday (or the rain). However, I have to proudly admit that I have been putting less pressure recently on these days of the week. Some things are inevitable, like death and Mondays. Yes, I just lumped those two together, but by acknowledging the reality, I am able to move on with my life and make the best of here and now.

Monday Motivation posts usually deal with ways you can motivate yourself and therefore achieve great things. That is fine, albeit a bit selfish. Today, I want to motivate you to do great things… for other people. That, in turn, should make YOU feel better. It is a win-win scenario. Two wins for the price of one motivation. It cannot get any better than that.

Recently, I had an interesting debate with Writerinretrospect on the topic of altruism and doing something for someone without expecting anything in return. It seems that we both are pretty jaded on that topic. Plenty of people do something for others hoping for a reward, or at least a payback. I like to think that I do plenty of things for others without expecting anything in return. However, I do have to work on not expecting people to be there for me when I am always there for them. This is something I can get bitter about.

Some people like the high they feel after helping others. They enjoy it so much that they get addicted to it. It is one of those rare times when addiction is not destructive. They keep on doing things for others just to feel that high. It can be a significant ego boost for them, knowing that they can make someone’s life better by merely snapping their fingers. To me, the “feel good” part is a simple by-product, of which I do not really think until it hits me.

We have heard about the couple that got an extra $120,000 added to their bank account but was asked to return it. We have also heard about the waitress that had to return her $5,000 tip because the girl who left that tip used her ex-boyfriend’s card without his permission. Today’s news is a positive one for a change. The woman whose tip amounted to more than $1,000 got to keep it.

A couple of days ago, a couple whose restaurant bill came to $92, left a $100 tip. Afterward, they decided to grab a bottle of wine to-go, which cost them $30. On that, the tip was $970. The waitress, probably after reading my posts and your comments on these things, made sure to confirm that the patron really meant to leave such an amount in tips. He did. He insisted that she had a good night and did not want to make a big deal out of it, ushering her to go back inside the restaurant.

We do not know who that man was. The story-teller in me wonders if the man maybe did all of that to show off to the woman who accompanied him. However, for the sake of all that is good, and this post, I choose to treat it as a pure act of kindness. I hope that there will be no investigation to try and find out who the mystery man is. He did not seem keen to answer the waitress’: “Who are you?” question.  He shook his head, told her to have a good night, and walked away. He just preferred to do a good deed without getting recognized.

The woman who received the tip was touched, saying that she had bills to pay and that the extra money surely would help. She earned it by being a great waitress, but she also got lucky, because not everyone leaves such a tip. She called it a “miracle” because it was money she desperately needed (not sure exactly how much or for what). The tip was hers, but she decided to split it with the rest of the staff. How awesome is that? It truly warmed my heart to hear that.

What does that show me? It reminded me that evil can spread like wildfire, but so can the good. The mystery man thought he was helping a single person, but it turns out that that person was just a tool to help others.

I enjoy being a tool in God’s hands.

So do something good for others. When someone does something for you, pay it forward. Keep the chain going. Ultimately, we just might make a difference.

Stay golden,

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