What if the world runs out of money?
Could you imagine how vastly different our world would be if we all learned to value the currency of kindness more than the currency of money?
We believe creating this kind of world is possible, that’s why this podcast exists.
Our vision is to live in a World where Everyone Performs Acts of Random Kindness. #wePARK
SHOW NOTES:
Click here to get your FREE downloadable copy of the book “What if the World Runs Out of Money” in exchange for an honorary pledge to PARK (Perform Acts of Random Kindness).
Click here to LISTEN to “What if the World Runs Out of Money?” 5 minute storytelling video
TRANSCRIPTION:
Hi PARKer, I’m Marly Q and welcome to Episode 14 with Murray Jones. Joining us today all the way from Brisbane, Queensland. Murray Jones is a successful Australian businessman and self-published author who has written a rhyming illustrated book for kids called, “What if the World runs out of Money?”. This book is meant to resonate with eight-year olds to 80-year olds because it’s all about valuing the important things in life, or what I like to call the currency of kindness more than the currency of money. Not only did Murray make this time to be kind and write the book, he made it available for free in exchange for making an honorary pledge to do something kind for someone. And he even donated a signed hard copy of the book to give away to one of you listening. That makes Murray our first Aussie PARKer and superhero in our book. So, let’s listen and welcome him into our Kind Qrew.
So, welcome to the show, thank you so much for making the time to be kind my new friend and PARKer all the way from Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Murray, welcome to the show.
[01:21] Murray: Thanks Marly, how you doing?
[01:24] Marly Q: I’m so excited that you found me through the beautiful internet and my TED Talk, Kindness is your Superpower, and you took the initiative to look at my website and reach out to me and connect and I’m just so grateful because we have a very aligned mission and aligned cause and this book that you wrote, “What if the World Runs out of Money?”, I know you sent me and one of our PARKers listening a copy; I can’t wait to receive it and give it out. So, please tell me the story, what is this book about and how did you get inspired to write it?
[02:01] Murray: Yeah, thanks, Marly. The inspiration came from my youngest daughter, actually, we were sitting watching the news or the bad news, the usual bad news and this is a few years ago, actually, and then she, asked me, you know, “Dad, what if the world runs out of money?”. So, that’s really, you know, where it started and I’ve always loved writing so I wrote a book, and it’s a simple rhyming book about the– well, you know, the hypothetical question, you know, what if the world runs out of money? It seems eerily you know, it’s a bit weird at the moment, in the weird world we’re in at the moment with so much stress around money and you know, etc. But yeah, that was the inspiration for the book, Marly.
[02:54] Marly Q: What I find interesting is that it’s not just a book, right? With this hypothetical question, but you also have set up a website, right? So, tell us about that.
[03:04] Murray: Yeah. So, I’ve set up a website called worldwithoutmoney.com.au. And the idea there is that people go on to that site, and they make a pledge to do something kind for someone and it then automatically, obviously they enter their email address, etc. and then it’s an honorary pledge, no one sort of checks to make sure that, you know, they’re doing it, but obviously, and then it automatically reverts back with, you know, with a thank you note and a PDF and a flip book so, a soft copy of the book for free.
[03:40] Marly Q: I think that’s so awesome. And how many honorary pledges would you say you’ve been able to gather?
[03:47] Murray: You know, thousands, there are a lot. So, and most of them are with all the simple things, you know, I’ll help a neighbor, I’ll cook for the neighbor, I’ll go and see the old lady down the street, I’ll, you know, one young girl, I remember there was the earthquake in Peru she said, “I’m going to donate my, you know, my pocket money for the year to the you know to the earthquake, you know fund.”. One lady– so, there are a lot of simple pledges but there was one that came straight from a lady who owned some land in the Philippines, 10,000 square meters of land and she donated that to the local community.
[04:30] Marly Q: Wow.
[04:30] Murray: And last time I heard that they’re raising money to build a school there, so, yeah, it did resonate and setting up that website was very much you know, I never wrote the book to, you know, to make money out of it. I just, you know, wrote it and then I got about 100 hard copies, so…
[04:49] Marly Q: I feel so honored to be receiving one and one of our Kind Qrew listeners receiving one too. Because really what sparked interest, you know, in me when you reached out, not just the title of the book is certainly, you know, a good headline, especially in these times, like you said, but really I talk a lot about the currency of kindness, as much or more than we value the currency of money; what a different world we’d live in. So, the pledges that people are making on your website, whether they’re small, smiling at strangers, I mean, I’m sure, you know, there’s a lot of small acts of kindness and big ones, like some of the ones that you shared, I think that what makes the currency of kindness so powerful, and what makes it a superpower is that it’s limitless. It is abundant, and it’s available to everyone, ages, you know, toddler to 100 and just like your book is targeted to a wide demographic and wide age so is kindness is available, and it will never run out.
[05:54] Murray: It will never run out and it is amazing and like, for such a simple act of kindness can do too in someone else’s life, it’s amazing, really. You know, often, you’re far more powerful than giving something of monetary value, you know, as you say, you know, and it can be as simple as, you know, a smile to a stranger, you know, it’s a pretty tough world out there at the moment and it should be more of it. So, I suppose this is my small contribution to try and generate some more kindness in the world.
[06:22] Marly Q: Well, I thank you. I, you know, created this podcast to spotlight and shine the light on PARKers, on people who perform acts of random kindness all over the world in small and in big ways, because it all makes a huge difference, and my friend writing a book and putting together a website, there’s nothing small about that. I can tell you from experience, that is a great big effort, and I’m so grateful to be able to share it with our PARKers listening. This podcast is all about, you know, uniting people who are performing acts of random kindness around the world and really magnifying our voices and generating more of that currency that I think this world is in desperate need of, way more than their need of money.
[07:09] Murray: Absolutely.
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[07:39] Marly Q: Murray, thank you so much for sharing your book with us and sharing your heart and your passion, you sound like someone to me who, maybe perhaps doesn’t normally brag or promote your acts of kindness, is that an accurate assumption?
[07:57] Murray: Oh well, yeah, probably. Yeah, I don’t like to make a big deal.
[08:03] Marly Q: Right. You sound like a very humble person to me, which I honor and I respect dearly and what I love is how you can be that way and also create a book and a website and a platform for others to share their acts of random kindness and I’d love to hear, you know, your thoughts on sharing acts of kindness versus keeping them anonymous.
[08:29] Murray: Yeah, well, look, I think, look, I think, you know, I guess, you know, the more that people do share their acts of kindness through, I mean, the work that you do, I was just absolutely blown away with your talk and, you know, the movement that you’ve created Marly is amazing. And I think, you know, the more people you know, recognize the benefit, as you say that, you know, kindness is a currency and the slogan for world kindness and I’m pretty sure he has ambassadors, you know, for World Kindness, you know, obviously honoree positions but the slogan for World Kindness is “The Courage to be Kind”, which I think really sums it up. You know, I think, sadly, we live in a world that’s, you know, disconnected and you know, we’re all here on the planet together and you know, we’re all, you know, and particularly at the moment where we are, it just makes me realize how vulnerable we all are and, you know, we’re all here, you know, we’re all here together on this planet spinning around, or trying to work out, you know, what the hell we’re here for. And I just think, you know, the more we can connect through kindness, the better the world would be.
[09:37] Marly Q: I so agree. I absolutely agree, since you listened to my TED talk, and that’s what sparked the connection, I’m not sure if you noticed, you’d have to listen pretty carefully right in the beginning with my opening question was, you know, if you could have any superpower in the world, what would it be? And someone from the audience, from the back of the room, said out loud, “Money.”. And I obviously only had, you know, 20 minutes–
[Cross talk]
[10:01] Marly Q: Yes, it’s very subtle and I, you know, kind of went right over it, I smiled though. I smiled because and you know, I only had 20 minutes to deliver this talk so, it wasn’t an interactive conversation with the audience, but I did hear him scream out, you know, as a superpower, money, and I smiled because I truly believe that the currency of kindness is the superpower– is the real superpower. And if we were to value that, we would live in a completely different world, we would truly heal mankind.
[10:35] Murray: Completely different world.
[10:37] Marly Q: Yes. So, I always smile when I hear that, you know, and sometimes I get criticized, you know, for, you know, “bragging” about acts of kindness or encouraging people to share their acts of kindness. And although I was raised to believe that you keep your acts of kindness anonymous, my life has taught me, you absolutely have the power to impact so many more people when you have the courage to be kind, when you have the courage to share that too.
I created BRAG as an acronym to stand for “Be Real And Grateful”.
So, whenever I “brag” about kindness that either I do, that I’ve seen, that other people are doing, this whole podcast is to BRAG about kindness, it really comes from a place of being real and grateful about the power that kindness has to inspire and impact other people. So, with that, I BRAG about you and I BRAG about your book, gladly, because I do believe it has a superpower to change the world.
[11:40] Murray: Thanks, Marly. No, I think there’s definitely some power in the book, and I think it’s really interesting, I’ve been involved in the sales and marketing my whole life and now saying, you know, I’m pretty successful at it but you’re the guru. You know, your kindness, really, you’re doing all the work you’re doing and it’s just, it’s so powerful.
[12:02] Marly Q: Yes, I’m definitely no guru; I am definitely a recipient and a testimony for the power of kindness and the power specifically of small acts of kindness, they really truly have the power to impact, not just your day, how you’re feeling in that moment, but your actions from then on out and ultimately your life. So, I am living proof that no act of kindness is ever wasted and I thank you for your act of kindness of watching my TED talk and being inspired to not just listen to it, but take another action and an initiative to find me, check out my website, reach out, send me a book and be on this podcast today. I think that that right there is the currency of kindness in action and I do hope that our PARKers listening are inspired by this interview, are inspired by the opportunity to win your book and go to your website and make a pledge and receive their soft copy as well.
[13:04] Murray: Oh, thank you, Marly, thank you very much for your time and it’s an absolute pleasure, it’s been fantastic talking to you.
[13:13] Marly Q: Likewise, big, big virtual hugs all the way. My first friend in Brisbane, Australia. Thank you for joining us.
[13:20] Murray: There you go, my first friend from Miami, Florida, so there you go.
[13:24] Marly Q: Yay, awesome.
[13:27] Murray: Thanks, Marly. Thank you very much.
[13:30] Outro:
“The lesson to reach out to each other is clear and if the money runs out, there’ll be nothing to fear.
New thoughts and ideas will replace ways of old and life as we know it will become pure gold.”
That was a piece from the final pages of Murray’s book; I loved reading it and can’t wait to give away a signed hard copy of this precious children’s book to one of you listening.
To win, all you need to do is …
This will help give our podcast the visibility that it deserves and further our mission to inspire and ignite kindness worldwide.
Thank you for being the spark of kindness. See you next time. [14:32]