Youval Ziv, managing partner at Pacific Holdings Partnership in Los Angeles, California, firmly believes in the idea of paying it forward. Believers in paying it forward, like Youval Ziv, believe one of the best ways to honor a kindness done to you is to do your own kindnesses to others, rather than trying to return the favor to the initial giver.The idea of paying it forward appears in many cultures and belief systems, including Judaism and paganism, and came back into the public consciousness after a movie of the same name was released in 2000. In this belief system, individuals may initiate such a cycle at any time, helping someone out without any expectation of repayment.The idea of paying it forward is one of genuine altruism. Participants take no ownership of the successes of the individuals they help, and instead simply hope that the kindnesses they do in the moment will generate a better world for others, and perhaps eventually come full circle. These kind acts can be as small as buying a beverage for the person behind oneself in line, or as large as free work. There are no limits to paying it forward.
Youval Ziv has spent nearly 15 years with Pacific Holdings Partnership in Los Angeles, California, and continues to lead the organization as a managing partner and chief executive officer. An active philanthropist, Youval Ziv strongly believes in the charitable philosophy of “paying it forward.”The first use of the phrase “pay it forward” can be traced back to science fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein’s 1951 novel “Between Planets,” which inspired the film Pay It Forward in 2000. In the film a young boy, played by Haley Joel Osment, is tasked with bringing about world change as part of a school assignment. To this end, Osment’s character develops the idea of paying it forward.An altruistic idiom, the concept involves an individual performing a selfless deed for another person or group as a response to a good deed they have benefited from. If everyone in the world lived their lives by this philosophy, individuals would consistently enjoy charity from others while at the same time helping their fellow human beings on a regular basis, without asking for or expecting anything in return.An early example of paying it forward involves Benjamin Franklin and Benjamin Webb. Mr. Franklin provided Mr. Webb with financial assistance in 1784. In a letter to Webb, Franklin expressed a desire not to be repaid, but for Webb to assist someone else as soon as he was financially capable of doing so.
