The Giving Return
Mindful giving is part of my daily spiritual practice. I dedicated myself to consciously give one gift a day over a year ago and so far, I haven't missed a day. The gifts I offer are small things. A tissue to someone who is crying. Small donations of money. Extra, quality time with my husband. I've learned many lessons through my daily giving ritual, but the biggest, and possibly the hardest, is the art of mindful receiving.
Giving is reciprocal and self-balancing. As you give more, you experience a psychic shift that heightens your awareness of the many things you receive. The giving part is easy, the receiving can be more difficult and more uncomfortable. We're programmed to see receiving as a sign of weakness. Overcoming that preconceived notion can take more effort than you'd think, but the payoff is that you will rarely experience a day when you don't get the thrill of knowing you've been on the receiving end of some sort of gift.
The first day of my personal 29-Day Giving Challenge was preceded by a sleepless night. I was awake all night feeling angry and sorry for myself during a difficult flare up of my Multiple Sclerosis. When insomnia hits, I often go through old journals and read them. I found a note I'd made during a phone session with one of my spiritual teachers, Mbali Creazzo, two months before. The note said, "Give something away each day for 29 days." At 3 a.m. I decided to take the suggestion.
And so my 29-Day Giving Challenge began that morning as I gave my first gift -- a simple supportive phone call to another friend living with MS. I woke up the next day, and the next day after that, feeling excited about what I might give away. I began to notice that the more I gave away, the more abundance I was experiencing for myself.
I wanted to see what would happen in my life if I committed and focused my energy on giving for 29 days. What space would it create in my life for new and unexpected things to occur? What shifts would I see in my thinking and behavior as a result? What impact would my gifts have on others? These were just a few of the questions I was curious about, but there’s no way I could have anticipated what unfolded.
By Day 29, I was astounded by the magical and miraculous gifts I began to receive:
・I felt happier, healthier, and more in awe with life.
・I was smiling and laughing more.
・I got stronger and was able to stop using my cane by Day 14.
・My business exploded with unexpected opportunities and I went back to work part-time after months of being too sick to work.
・I connected with a community of new friends in Los Angeles after several months of feeling isolated in my new home. With help from the website, I also reconnected with my community of friends from San Francisco and the Midwest, where I had lived previously.
・My creativity opened up and I began writing stories regularly.
・I began experiencing a deeper intimacy in my relationship with my husband, family and friends.
At first I felt guilty that so much amazing change was being offered to me by the universe, then I realized that by giving mindfully each day I was tapping into the natural reciprocal power of giving and receiving. I realized that each time I offered a gift to another person I was connecting with them on a deep spirit level, and we were both, in that moment, connected to the divine spirit that makes everything out of nothing. The returns I was seeing on my giving were just a natural part of the process and it was all coming from that great universal spirit, from which everything is free. Recognizing that made me realize that I am connected to everyone and everything around me, and that is the real giving return.
How about you? What return have you seen on your own investment in this Giving Challenge?
Giving is reciprocal and self-balancing. As you give more, you experience a psychic shift that heightens your awareness of the many things you receive. The giving part is easy, the receiving can be more difficult and more uncomfortable. We're programmed to see receiving as a sign of weakness. Overcoming that preconceived notion can take more effort than you'd think, but the payoff is that you will rarely experience a day when you don't get the thrill of knowing you've been on the receiving end of some sort of gift.The first day of my personal 29-Day Giving Challenge was preceded by a sleepless night. I was awake all night feeling angry and sorry for myself during a difficult flare up of my Multiple Sclerosis. When insomnia hits, I often go through old journals and read them. I found a note I'd made during a phone session with one of my spiritual teachers, Mbali Creazzo, two months before. The note said, "Give something away each day for 29 days." At 3 a.m. I decided to take the suggestion.
And so my 29-Day Giving Challenge began that morning as I gave my first gift -- a simple supportive phone call to another friend living with MS. I woke up the next day, and the next day after that, feeling excited about what I might give away. I began to notice that the more I gave away, the more abundance I was experiencing for myself.
I wanted to see what would happen in my life if I committed and focused my energy on giving for 29 days. What space would it create in my life for new and unexpected things to occur? What shifts would I see in my thinking and behavior as a result? What impact would my gifts have on others? These were just a few of the questions I was curious about, but there’s no way I could have anticipated what unfolded.
By Day 29, I was astounded by the magical and miraculous gifts I began to receive:
・I felt happier, healthier, and more in awe with life.
・I was smiling and laughing more.
・I got stronger and was able to stop using my cane by Day 14.
・My business exploded with unexpected opportunities and I went back to work part-time after months of being too sick to work.
・I connected with a community of new friends in Los Angeles after several months of feeling isolated in my new home. With help from the website, I also reconnected with my community of friends from San Francisco and the Midwest, where I had lived previously.
・My creativity opened up and I began writing stories regularly.
・I began experiencing a deeper intimacy in my relationship with my husband, family and friends.
At first I felt guilty that so much amazing change was being offered to me by the universe, then I realized that by giving mindfully each day I was tapping into the natural reciprocal power of giving and receiving. I realized that each time I offered a gift to another person I was connecting with them on a deep spirit level, and we were both, in that moment, connected to the divine spirit that makes everything out of nothing. The returns I was seeing on my giving were just a natural part of the process and it was all coming from that great universal spirit, from which everything is free. Recognizing that made me realize that I am connected to everyone and everything around me, and that is the real giving return.How about you? What return have you seen on your own investment in this Giving Challenge?
Tags: giving return, pt
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Cami Walker -- 29Gifts Founder on -
I'm really interested in hearing from some of you on this topic. I hope a few of you take some time to share.
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Permalink Reply by Mary Johnson on -
This is from a previous blog post of mine, but answers your question, so thought it appropriate to post part of it here, as well....
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I'm more relaxed during Round 2, which I'm very grateful to Round 1 for.
Part of what I learned during Round 1 is that it's more important for me to be in the moment every moment of every day. Each day and all it entails is a gift; the morning sun, the ground we walk on and the air we breathe; the way a smile can change your mood; the food we prepare and eat, and the people and animals we touch; the ability to think and make choices. I no longer stress about what I've given or if I've updated the blog every day, because it's all a gift, including all the little, repetitive, mundane things we do and complain about.
The preparation of meals is no longer an interruption to my day. I see it as a ritual and celebrate it as such. I think about, honor and appreciate all those whose time and skill and knowledge and love and care went into each ingredient; even the drivers who transport them from there to here - the people who made the trucks and the gas that nourishes the trucks. I think of all the people involved who took the time to do what they do that culminated in each meal.
If you've never done it before, it's amazing, almost overwhelming, to think about how many people, animals and machines locally and around the world are involved in each INGREDIENT, let alone an entire meal!
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To sum up, it's all good. Thank you, Cami, Mbali, Erin, Angel, Kate, and all the contributors, for 29Gifts.
You make a difference.
Mary
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Permalink Reply by yogadeb on -
I am beginning to see how much I receive and how I give each day in sometimes very subtle ways! What I love about the 29 day giving challenge - is the balance in the attention we are asked to pay to what we receive each day as well! Gratitude has played a huge role in changing my life for the better. Living consciously through practices such as this is what will change the world. Thank you for this gift!
Deb
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Permalink Reply by Shannon on -
Giving was such an easy thing to do the first few rounds, but as they went on, i felt like my gives weren't as good as they could have been. So i took off some time of giving. Not that i really stopped, but i just wasn't posting and checking to see what everyone else was doing and how it affected them. I noticed after not taking notice or posting my gives that i wasn't as happy. Reading what i've done and more so what others have done, always brought a big smile to my face. I always post and read others gives right before i go to bed. I would always go to bed with a big smile on my face, which i loved! But that happy and peaceful feeling seemed to fade away when i wasn't posting my gives and reading about others. It actually made me feel sad. So i'm back and loving it! Once again am going to bed with a smile on my face and peace in my heart! Thank You! :)
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Permalink Reply by Deb~ Community Manager on -
This is wonderful~
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