Giving is a beautiful word. It implies sharing a part of yourself in any form or measure with the existence around you.
A lot of people question the very purpose of giving.
“What’s in it for me?” is the common refrain.
But strangely enough, we never question why does the sun continue to shine so brightly day in and out. What if, the sun ever stopped to question “What’s in it for me?’
But it does not. Because the whole universe rejoices in giving, in sharing its abundance. Because the more it gives, the more is created. It is like an eternal fountain spring, which would shrivel up if restrained or held back.
But we humans often adopt a miserly mode of living because we choose to ignore the abundance around us. And that’s because we have confined the definition of abundance to a very narrow scope of money. But affection of loved ones, the kindness of a stranger, a hot muffin just off the oven, or even something as simple and plentiful as fresh air, sunlight; all enrich us in countless ways.
So if nothing else, Giving is an expression of gratitude for the abundance, existence has so unselfishly showered us with. And even when we don’t have anything, if you look closely, you’ll find something that you can give.
But many of us resist giving thinking that we’ll do it once we have a certain amount of wealth or measure of success. And so we go through life wanting things, collecting things. We get some and then we want some more. And these wants don’t disappear once they are fulfilled; they just give rise to more wants.
This approach encompasses our entire life, including our workplace.
If you are a corporate leader, you might think that it would be bad business to give away your corporation’s time, money and knowledge. Because, all said and done, one of the fundamental goals of any organization is to make profits and achieve growth for its stakeholders. And that is valid because corporate leaders work hard and take risks, and they need to be compensated for their efforts. However the endless craze for growth and profit often becomes a vicious circle of ever increasing desires with no end or satisfaction in sight.
Giving in my opinion is the one activity that brings you out of this circle, back to the moment, back to your center, back to the abundance within.
And the best part is you will never find yourself empty when you want to give. Because the moment you open your hand to give, you also open your hand to receive.
How can you give?
People often equate contributing money with giving. But giving can be in any form- your time, skills, knowledge, mentoring, giving books, food, making people laugh, anything.
Bob Galvin, son of the man who founded Motorola once remarked, “Dad looked down an assembly line of women employees and thought, ‘They are all like my mom – they have kids, homes to take care of, people who need them.’” This realization motivated Galvin Sr. to work hard to give his employees a better life. This is an example of corporate leadership.
As a corporate leader, something as simple as taking that extra step to help your customer, mentoring the youth center, donating computers to a local school, funding an old age home, all are acts of giving.
Who Gives a Crap is a brand of toilet paper from Australia, which donates 50% of its profits to help build toilets in the developing world.
Increasingly, the world over, people, customers, investors are more and more invested emotionally and financially in organizations that have a culture of giving back to society. It not only makes you a better company but also makes simple business sense at the end. Customers prefer to patronize companies that demonstrate that they care about their workers and the environment and that generously support non-profits. And ultimately the very act of giving resonates with our deep existential need to share, just like the universe we are a part of.
All life is interconnected.
In giving, you not only extend yourself to the universe, the universe also extends itself back to you. The moment you begin to see yourself and the universe as one, the act of giving transforms into an act of receiving.
While the more closed and fearful you are about the world around you, the more it seems to close in around on you.
I have often met extremely rich but un giving people who continue to feel a sense of lack in spite of being surrounded by wealth. This is because our sense of inner poverty has nothing to do with our outside abundance. Richness is ultimately defined by how much you give, not how much you have. If you continue to believe you are poor, you will continue to function with a scarcity consciousness mindset and close yourself to the enormous possibilities and abundance.
Besides the simple act of giving in itself is a powerful giving in itself is a rewarding act.
Giving attracts richness – the more you give, the more abundance you invite into your life. It invites independence and interdependence, not dependence; as your focus is on giving, not on taking.
It invites happiness, as the best way to find happiness, is to give happiness.
Giving takes you away from being a victim to someone who is grateful for what he or she has. It opens your eyes to the enormous power you have within you, to transform life around you.
Giving is a joy and a blessing!
The moment you give – whether it is money, a gift, a prayer or even a positive thought – you create an instantaneous response.
Firstly, you feel good about your giving, creating a positive energy within you. Second, the good feeling you created within the receiver is reciprocated directly or indirectly. Third, the universal law kicks in – when you give, you get!
Once you give, subconsciously you know that it will be returned to you. This makes you confident, thus attracting more.
Sometimes the response to your giving is tangible. In most cases the response is intangible. Either way, when you give, you get!
Experience the joy of giving this Christmas!