“You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.” Kahlil Gibran
You may have thought that you did not have anything to give until you read the quote above. The truth is you have more to give than you can possibly imagine. And I agree with Khalil wholeheartedly “when you give of yourself that you truly give.”
So what does he mean by that? Well it is definitely a very deep thought and I will do my best to explore it on multiple levels with you, as if we were peeling back layers of an onion anxious to know what is at the core.
Giving in material objects shows tremendous heart. It shows that you are thoughtful and want to show your appreciation by giving back. It is admirable and we can both do it more often, whether it is simply sending someone you care about a Thank You fruit basket or sponsoring children in need through World Vision. Giving just feels great!
What I really want to talk to you about today though is giving those things which we cannot measure with a price tag…
You and I both know that our time here on planet Earth is limited… As a matter of fact, the moment we are born the countdown has started backwards slowly crawling towards the time when you and I will no longer be here. Remember now, we both came with nothing material and when we pass on we will leave with nothing material. With that thought in the back of our minds… let’s establish what is really important to us and what does it mean to truly give of yourself!
Ahhh… now those are both beautiful thoughts.
The things that are really important to us are the ones that money can’t buy. To name a few… we got Time, Health, Family, Relationships, Reputation, Happiness, Passion, Forgiveness, Courage, Ambition, Faith… and much much more. How’s that for a refresher!?
Now that we have our mind soaked with what is truly important to us I believe to truly give of yourself is to take yourself out of your own problems and issues enough to sincerely listen to another person in need. Then without being asked, do anything and everything possible to be of service to a fellow human being given the resources you have at your disposal.
It could be a simple phone call to ask a long time friend just to see how they are doing and what they are up to…
It could be a simple thank you note to the one person on your staff that always goes above and beyond without ever being asked to do it…
It could be a sincere smile to a person who you know can definitely use some cheering up…
It could be a hug to someone you know that just experienced a loss and wants to give up all hope in life…
It could be asking your significant other if there is anything you can do to make their life better… and easier…
It could be….. you get the idea!
So, how can you get started today by giving of yourself?
Let’s start with Family, considering that the environment we are raised in forever shapes our lives, there must be a reason why you have the family that you have. Your father is a certain way and your mother is a certain way for you to become a certain way. You may or may not have brothers and sisters and either way your personality and who you are will be affected by them one way of the other.
So with that said, it would be safe to agree that the people who are in your immediate family are part of the very divine structure that you yourself are a product of… So how about the next time you are with your family, you keep this article in mind and seize the opportunity to give of yourself?
Just keep it simple. It will be worth it… that, I can guarantee!
So remember, Give, Give More, Then Keep On Giving.
