Interview with Charley Johnson, President of Pay It Forward Foundation

Charley Johnson, President of Pay It Forward Foundation

Last week, we at SuccessFunding had the opportunity to interview the President of the Pay It Forward Foundation, Mr. Charley Johnson. Pay It Forward is a movement that promotes that good deeds be repaid to others. For example, if someone opened the door for you, you will repay that person by doing a good deed for another. We found that SuccessFunding and Pay It Forward were similar in their beliefs in giving back to others through small good deeds. We hope you enjoy reading about this amazing interview as much as we had in interviewing Charley. Getting To Know Charley I got involved with Pay It Forward like most people do. I saw the movie back in 2000, loved the concept and got hooked. I loved that I could do something for someone and not have that awkward moment of them figuring out how to pay you back. I didn’t like that situation so as soon as I saw that movie, everything clicked for me. The very fact that I could do something and tell them to do it for someone in the future however they chose was perfect for me. I could move on with my life after doing something nice for someone and everyone can go their separate ways. I got more involved with PIF when we created the bracelet in 2007. During this whole time of seeing the movie and creating the bracelet, I had a business for 15 years, from the age of 15 to 30.  A little over two years ago, I left that business. Instead of going back into corporate America, I wanted to try something new. No one had ever worked on the Pay it Forward movement full time, growing it, branding it, making more people in the world find out about the movement. We’ve jut been building momentum. We’ve been succeeding in some ways, and failing in others. We’ve been seeing what’s been working and what hasn’t. We’ve traveled and talked to many, many people in dozens of countries. SF: Why is gratitude important to you? How do YOU show gratitude? CJ: I show gratitude by action; actions speak louder than words. We have lost that sense of gratitude. On social media, we talk about gratitude and how blessed we are but our actions don’t match up. I’m a big fan of action. Those actions on how you treat a coworker, family member, stranger, even an animal, etc. is a much bigger thing than just saying you’re appreciative of them.  I’m a much bigger believer in action than words. SF: What motivates you to give to someone? CJ:  It just feels good.   Anytime I’m having a bad day, the sooner I can get out and hold a door or get someone coffee, I don’t know what it is scientifically, but it just feels really good. It gets you thinking about something other than your own problems. SF: According to your TEDxSMU talk in 2012, you talk about how a simple act of kindness can change someone’s life. What acts of kindness do you usually do? CJ:  I think the most powerful act of kindness is looking someone in the eye when they’re talking to you. It infuriates me when you’re trying to have a conversation with someone and they look over your shoulder or past you trying figure out what’s happening next or what they are missing out on. Give that person your full attention, allow them to talk and feel listened to. I really love to just catch eye contact with someone and have that human interaction. SF: How do you see SuccessFunding following the Pay It Forward ideology of how a simple act from one individual can better the world? CJ:  Do what you’re doing. Get more people to understand how important higher learning is, give people less anxiety about debt. You are helping Change the mentality on the next generation when it comes to debt and creating a way to get college funded for more students. This will be a massive Pay it Forward for this generation.  SuccessFunding is already bettering the world. SF: Do you think SuccessFunding embodies your idea of bettering the world? How so? CJ:  Yes, just by changing the mentality.  Changing up how people view debt. Changing up how people view higher learning. Changing the way people view each other.  The good and the bad thing about PIF is that it’s so broad. It can infiltrate every aspect of life, business and anyone’s life. There are 7 billion people and there are 7 billion ideas on how to better the world. Your organization is doing quite well in helping more and more people Pay it Forward in their own way.