paying, period

The concept of paying forward is appealing.  When someone does something kind & generous, pay it forward, be kind & generous with another.  

So is paying, period.  Paying for yourself, covering your own expenses.  Developing financial stability.

Stability is a good thing, not something just for dullards.  There is nothing romantic about not having any money.

That might sound a tad strange coming from someone who's vision is of people who can afford the investment pooling together underwriting to free me to do my elder care thing without the constraint of money worries.  That will be a formal arrangement, with specific monies provided by others AND defined expectations of what I will deliver on my end.

What it will not be is ANYTHING happening by default.  I had a deeply-rooted fear of things happening by default - people not actively doing something, it just seeming to happen without action & certainly not intention, yet happening all the same.  

Here's how I see the next few years working out - for several, my work/life will be underwritten by people who can afford it & are invested in seeing my elder work germinate, take root, grow, blossom, flourish;  as I develop a clientele, my need for financial support will go away; as I become well-known & start writing & sharing what I've learned, I'll be able to invest in others, as I was valued & supported when I most needed it.  

Paying forward is wonderful, a beautiful concept & practice.  But it HAS to start with paying your own way, period.