We’re often admonished to “pay it forward” – that is, do things for others without receiving anything back. But the very term implies a form of payment….just that it’s already been received elsewhere. I prefer to think of Guy Kawasaki‘s “mensch” framework: in sum, just do the right thing…because it’s the right thing. And because I love connecting people, I’ve found myself doing it a lot as a natural course of action.

But if I’m honest with myself, I realize there is indeed a form of payment I relish: seeing exactly how my assistance leads to real, positive inspiration and change. So when people take the time to share about them, it is more than gold to me. A few highlights from this year that had an intoxicating effect for me:

• From someone attending my HTML5DevConference talk on tools and resources for developers to become entrepreneurs:

  “Thank you for the talk. It gave me confidence that I might be able to get help for some of these crazy ideas I have knocking around in my head.”

• Having coffee with a friend who reminded me that one introduction I made led to her taking a board seat; and another led to a key sponsorship for an event she helped promote (bonus: she even reminded them that I was the person to make the introduction in their meeting).

• And what a kicker that is tough to top…from someone I had coffee with who beat out 300 applicants for a new job (excerpt):

  “…you were instrumental in helping me make it (to this new position). When we chatted back in March, you encouraged me to focus on my own interests, passions, and strengths. This focused my search….I wanted to thank you again for your advice that helped me find my way to this point. In fact, the Counselor told me that it was my genuine passion that made me stand out from the other candidates. For that alone, I wanted to thank you.”

Trust me, I certainly take satisfaction in being rewarded by things like recognition or money…but these instances show me that nothing quite matches the high of making a connection that leads to positive change.

So if someone helps you, take the time to loop back with them and report on the impact they had. It’s worth so much.

To a Connected 2014!