Someone said this to me today:

“Thanks for teaching me how to DJ, I’ve seen the whole world and I never ever thought that would be possible. Thanks for helping me to realize a dream.”

I’m not going to say who. That’s not the point. The point is, this made me shed a tear happiness for someone I love. Someone I saw something special in. I made a choice to share my gift with this person, because it was the right thing to do at the right time. I have never known anyone to be so motivated, driven and passionate than this person.

This person has since traveled the world – all from a simple act of sharing what I knew. Passing your gift on and paying it forward. Always pass on your gift. Do not be selfish. It is not worth it.

I shared my gift with this person in the same way Bill Ace, father of my childhood friend, David Ace, shared his knowledge with me in the late 70s. In the same way David Jurman invited me to his office at Sony Music or picked up the phone to share his knowledge. In the same way Ramon Wells or Tony Monte and Ellyn Harris always took time out of their day for me, for no other reason then to share what they know, even after I was no longer a Billboard Dance Chart reporting DJ. Because, that didn’t matter to them. What mattered was being human. I follow in their footsteps…the footsteps of giants who made time for me and saw something in me no one else wanted to see.

Teaching others is a wonderful thing. There is nothing in life more satisfying than sharing your knowledge and giving someone a skill they can use and apply in their life – something that can truly take them around the world. I will tell you…I have seen it happen. There is no more satisfying of a feeling then to watch someone else’s life bloom because you took a few minutes out of your day to give them something they could use for their entire life. Something that transformed their world.

I did introduce this person to someone else that inspired them as well. I sincerely hope this person has washed her hand since then. Said they’d never wash that hand again, but I hope they did!