Hello Once Again
Give what you have. To someone, it may be better than you dare to think.
-- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver.
-- Maya AngelouAnother month is upon us and we are also half way through the year. Many of those goals we set in January must now seem a long and distant memory and are now sitting in Santa’s Bag of dreams, waiting for 2008 to happen upon us. However, I still believe that no matter what goals we have set if we have achieved some of them – great. If not, we still have time to change or pursue them. I have come to realise that life is a constantly evolving and revolving element and that whether we achieve within certain time frames or not, the beauty is that there is always the possibility to still go change, it’s just about extending that deadline. So if you have not fulfilled any of your New Year’s resolutions as yet, you still have time to go for it.
The past few weeks have seen tremendous steps forward in my life and as I progress towards my own personal goals and achievements, the beauty for me here is that in my quest forward, I am meeting a wonderful wealth of people from all walks of life and I am learning so much in the process.
Along this journey a few things have become quite obvious. One – that there are many people who are living very isolated existences, their lives have become a treadmill which is constantly going around in circles – life never quite allowing these individuals to reach any sort of plateau. Their lives have become a treadmill of early to rise and late to bed, nothing achieved on a personal level because time has been taken up with just trying to survive. J.O.B – just over broker. This lonely existence is leading many to feeling not only isolated as individuals, but isolated from their communities, their families and from humanity. This separation of self from the social causes numerous problems, from feeling depressed, low self-esteem, feeling futile etc to becoming so introverted and contained within the dark dimensions of their existence that even to do the simplest of demands is in itself heartache.
I often go on about getting involved in charity or voluntary work and the importance of giving whether of self, money, time, energy, information etc. Just in my new role as a coach and sometimes a mentor, I am beginning to realise that there are a wealth of individuals in society who are in this isolated state and lack of communication and social interaction is very common place.
For me, I have come to realise the importance of giving even on a molecular basis. A simple act of kindness can have positive resounding effects to simply make someone feel that they are important. Therefore, to give someone a smile, to offer a few words of comfort, to give someone a phone call just to say “hi” may seem small to the giver, but to the receiver, who may not have interacted or conversed with anyone throughout the transition of their day, means so much.
Yet also remember that when you give you must give unconditionally and not just for show because not only will you bless or touch the life of the one you are giving to, but you will also in some way enhance your own life and receive that feeling of satisfaction and contentment that money nor materialistic gain or objects can never attain.
As human beings, we all want to be loved and cherished. We need to feel needed and important and to experience the joy of giving, you must give and unconditionally. So I urge you today to take a look around you and rather than throw judgement/condemn or find fault take the time to really assess those around you. Often times, we wear masks that hide our pain and our inadequacies. Yet I always say look in someone’s eyes the “Windows to the Soul” and you can usually see where a person is at.
Alternatively, join a charitable organisation or voluntary group as the need out there for volunteers is great. I will be trekking the Inca Trail in Peru in May 2008, to raise funds for The Breast Cancer Haven (dedicating this event to my late sister) and to me that will be the most emotionally, physically and spiritually challenging yet rewarding experience of doing something to help make a change.
What will you do today to effect a change in your world?
In helping others, we shall help ourselves, for whatever good we give out completes the circle and comes back to us.
-- Flora Edwards
It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.
-- Mother Teresa
