Hippie CEO Life #18 - Building a Culture of Giving
August 12, 2022
The corporate world often feels like a movie set.
Forever pay it forward.
i’ve shared this story before but i think it’s worth re-sharing as it was such a powerful event in my life.
As a new graduate, that hadn’t experienced the world, i was sent to San Francisco for training. i was only a few weeks into my first real job. The outside world was new and scary.
My travels had me cross the Bay Bridge, the mass of cars lined up overwhelmed my senses, cars fighting for position to get into just the right tollbooth lane. A car to my right was struggling to get into my lane, so i stopped, waved him over, and continued on my way. As i pulled up to the tollbooth, the operator leaned out and said “Don’t worry about it, the guy in front of you paid your tolls. Have an amazing day!”
i honestly don’t remember actually driving across the bridge that morning, i was so moved by what had just happened, i couldn’t think about anything else.
It may seem like such a little thing, paying for a random person’s tolls, but that event completely changed the trajectory of my life. Returning back to the hotel later in the day, i was still thinking about what happed at the tollbooth that morning and at that moment, i decided that is how i wanted to define my life. i wanted to look for random opportunities to do something nice for people, i wanted to look for opportunities to make someone’s day a little bit better, i wanted to look for opportunities to forever pay it forward.
This event was the spark that would be responsible for creating a culture of giving both individually and as a business. A few that really stand out for me:
Raising over $50,000 for Black Girls CODE with our good friends at Analytics Demystified
Our yearly donations to local food banks in every city where 33 Sticks has an employee
Supporting a young woman who is driven to create magical experiences for children in need
i deeply want to believe that these moments of giving, these moments of paying it forward, create a ripple effect of positivity that is far beyond what any of us are able to observe. Just as at the tollbooth that morning, the man who paid for my tolls had no idea the positive impact he would have on my life and how that impact would go on to impact countless others, we have no idea how many people’s lives we change for the better through our acts of caring and generosity.
If i can ask one thing of you today, it would be to find an opportunity to plant a seed of kindness, you may never know the incredible impact you will have through even the most simple acts of kindness.
