We're big believers in paying it forward at The Foreword. It's one of the things that keeps us typing up these emails and hoping someone out there gets something beneficial from our thoughts, feelings, and dreams. 

 

When I saw the below post from @greatness, it reminded me I've been admiring from afar too much recently. And in world where we have LinkedIn, Instagram, Substack, email, skywriting, I've got no excuse not to practice what I preach more often. 

 

So, here's some ideas I'd like to share with you 

 

I read Substack recently from That's Niche in which Erika Veurink talks about the ‘art of the intro email’, a concept I absolutely love. She writes about connecting two unwitting people via email because you just know they have to meet, get to know each other, or have something to discuss. Genius. 

 

Yes, you can also email someone directly and just tell them why you loved their recent creation or even just their Internet Presence. 

 

Two minutes could make someone's day. 

 

Word of mouth is so! Important! if you're enjoying something, or someone's output, big or small, tell a friend or five. 

 

There's no harm in going wide, especially if you're adept at an Instagram Story, TikTok, LinkedIn posting; grab a link, write a couple of words, and share it around. It's so easy to screen shot, tag, link, save, comment, like, subscribe, friend, follow, etc. these days and engagement is a really, really easy way to say: hey, I admire this.

 

If you're not keen to go public with your praise, just slide into their DMs. A couple of lines about what you admire or why you're glad you stumbled on their content/words/missives/videos can go a long way. 

 

Practise daily/weekly/monthly. 

We bet you'll have fun. 

 

Does anyone else trawl Etsy for wrapping ideas that are cheap and not boring? If yes, I found this for you. Enjoy!

I stumbled on @allthepeachesplease accidentally on Instagram, and I'm so glad I did because her DIYs are so good and really easy to repeat. Or, just be like me and save all her videos but never do any of them. 

This is a tiny book but it's a classic Sally Rooney, and if you're a fan (who isn't?) I suggest tracking it down. It's a cutie but also filled with good words and a story you shouldn't get too attached to because it's over before you know it.