Giving

With the holiday season here, I thought it best to talk about one of the major topics during this time - Giving. Why give? We all like to receive, but somehow for most it is a little harder to be on the giving side, especially when things are tight and the economy has an uncertain future. Why is that? I don't believe that it is because we do not care. I don't believe it is because we cannot. Mostly, I think it has to do with habit. We are simply not used to giving the way we were intended to. If you've ever given something that someone really wanted or needed, you know the joy that giving can bring. Giving is an activity that brings some of the best feelings of satisfaction, yet we often avoid it and keep things for ourselves.
Albert Einstein said “The value of a man resides in what he gives and not in what he is capable of receiving.” These words are so true. Everyone is capable of receiving. It takes no special effort. But giving, that takes sacrifice. You are giving something up for yourself so that someone else can benefit. That action creates joy inside of both parties, especially the giver.
People often think that the wealthy are greedy and hoard money for themselves. In most cases, this is far from the truth. Those who are wealthy understand the laws of money, and one of those laws is that money does not flow to the greedy. Those with money are often some of the most generous and caring people in the world. They understand that they must give out of what has been given to them to bless others around them and make a positive impact on the lives of others. In your quest for wealth, this should be one of your ultimate goals as well; to have the opportunity to bless the lives of others through your fortune and your blessings. That is true success.We are all capable of giving something. Maybe it's not money or a physical gift. Maybe it's time, or wisdom, or love. The point is that you are giving something of yourself to bless the life of another person. Everyone is capable of this, and if it's been a while since you have experienced the joy of giving, I strongly encourage you to take the step, make the sacrifice and find a way to bless someone else's life. Start slow if you must, but start. Then keep doing it-make it a habit. Make it something you are used to doing. When you make it a habit to be consistently blessing the lives of others, your life will change as well. You wont regret it.