Why should I give?

The benefits of giving are endless. Its simple. When we give, we feel good. When we give to others, they feel good. When people give to us, it inspires us to be more giving. And when we give to people, it inspires them to be more giving.

Giving comes in many different ways.

1. Education – There is a reason why wisdom grows with time. Education comes in the form of many things – experience, specialized training, school, books, and traveling. And there are endless ways in which we can learn. In fact, as long as we’re alive, we can never stop learning! There is abundance in the form of education everywhere. But to see this, one must carry an open mind and willingness to understand. Many of us have heard the saying ‘ Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime. ‘ The beauty in this is that the more people we educate, the more education is spread. Where there is education, there is more unity, peace, tolerance, and happiness. You may have been generous by giving an education to your children, by helping someone with their homework or project. If you are a teacher, putting energy, passion and enthusiasm into your teaching can be a form of generosity. Sharing knowledge is the best way for us to live purposefully and aspire others to do the same.

2. Listening – Lets face it, a lot of us are trying to be understood most of the time instead of trying to understand. We want people to accept us. Just from what you’ve just read, you can see that the need to be understood is a need shared by everyone. Wouldn’t our lives be so much better if we took it upon ourselves to meet that need for people? Giving your full attention to someone, without cross thoughts or judgments of-course, but with sincerity and empathy, is one of the most powerful forms of generosity. Here is what you do for the people you are actively listening to:

• Give them feelings of relief
• Make them feel important
• Increase their level of trust
• Make them feel more confident

Truly listening, to someone with all your presence is an act of selflessness. Giving them feelings of relief, importance, trust, and improved confidence. Talk about being generous!

3. Volunteering – There are so many different ways we can volunteer to help people. Like becoming an active member of a humanitarian organization, participating at a local food shelter, or giving blood. Most of us know someone who has traveled over seas to where assistance is needed most. You may want to help nature by planting more trees, or doing a beach clean up. If you like animals, you may consider volunteering at a pet shelter.

The benefits of volunteering are remarkable. Aside from leaving a positive impact on your community, you also lead as an example for people you come into contact with to follow in your footsteps. The generous action of volunteering inspires other people to volunteer. The more people dedicate their time to the causes of the world, the more the world becomes a better place for all living beings. The motivation and sense of achievement that comes from volunteering is irreplaceable.

4. Stuff that’s useful – The happiness that comes from giving away things we love is always more powerful than giving away things we don’t need anymore. Although they are both good and both acts of giving, if you’ve ever done this before, then you will know what the elevated level of joy feels like and what it brings to others. If you haven’t done it before, give it a try ☺

5. Money – Lets face it. Money makes the world go around. Think about all the good causes we could donate to and all the people who would be helped as a result. Money to build wells, homes, and schools. Money to adopt and sponsor children, plant trees, and save animals. Money is all-good. It’s what we do with it that makes a difference to our world. We have the power to make choices, excellent choices – with the money we make. What is shared, is a symbol of caring.