3 Basic Principles to The Art of Giving
Photo Credit: Krislitman
The Art of Giving is Giving in the overflow of abundance. It is Giving that is made with pure love, kindness and joy in excess. It comes from the generosity of your spirit. The most obvious act of giving that anybody can think of instantly, is the gift of a money donation. However, the Art of Giving extends to more than that. It is also the giving of inspiration; of visions, purpose and dreams. It is also the giving of words of encouragment; of hopes, anticipation and guidance. Other than gifts, it can also be made via an act of service, of selflessness, humanity and consideration for your friends and family. In another context, it can be an expression of gratitude in reciprocation of what you have received.
Of course, you can still give and not be alignment of what is described above. This is when your act is tainted and marked with negative thoughts and emotions, selfish desires or motives for self-appointed gains. However, when you do so, you cannot expect to receive more in true value than what you have given. (Note also that you cannot measure the value of what you receive by a dollar amount. Rather, the true measurement of what you receive from the Universe/God is the sum total of all your blessings: love, health, wealth, relationships, time, joy and bliss.)
Upon reflection, you may say that you have not been previously consciously aware that your motives are self serving and meant only to exalt your ego. But yes…you most certainly can identify with the feeling that you have not been all that happy in your life. And that is why you are reading this article to look for some clues and answers.
Greater awareness on this topic can certainly put you on the path of greater healing and change. When you do not know the Art of Generous and Pure Giving, it is as good as not being able to live life with experiencing joy and bliss at the highest levels.
Nevertheless, it is important to remember the past is the past. It’s time to make a change so that you can experience the fullest state of Being.
“Our care should not be to have lived long as to have lived enough.” —- Seneca
Not Having Enough To Spare?
You may then protest “What a minute here; I can’t give what I do not have.”
May I dare propose that you may be looking at things narrowly. More often than not, it would be the lack of money that you are referring to.
In the Art of Giving, I’m talking about being generous in a number of ways. As I have demonstrated in my previous post, even a small Random Act of Kindness can spread and bring about an avalanche of goodness to the world.
“The life I touch for good or ill will touch another life, and that in turn another, until who knows where the trembling stops or in what far place my touch will be felt.” — Frederick Buechner
I may like to add that I have no intention of suggesting that you should give all the cash that you’ve got. I’d be a hypocrite to suggest that you should live in poverty and to give all that you’ve earned, when I don’t do this myself.
I remember when I was young and life was somehat a struggle because there was not enough nice food on the table or luxuries to buy. (Lunch for me for 5 days a week was porridge with fried fish. This was considered already luxurious compared to my father’s younger days where a special treat was comprised of plain rice with a chicken neck dipped in soya sauce. I am not kidding!!!). But guess what? The policy then in our home, as dictated by my grandmother, was always to have an open door. Any friend or neighbour who walked by would be invited for a meal. There was no question of what abundance meant to her (see above photo for the perfect illustration): There would always be enough rice to go round!
I am also pretty sure that if she is still alive today, her policy will not change, even in the face of rising crop prices. *Sniff* (at the memory of her).
What I would like to suggest, instead, is about Giving in gradual steps. As you start to experience more abundance from your first act of kindness, it becomes easier to give more and more back to others. This is a natural law of Abundance. Abundance must be allowed to flow freely and limitlessly. When you give and receive continuously, a never ending stream of Abundance will flow through you. Abundance should never be halted or saved up in any way.
Here are 3 basic principles to the Art of Giving…..
Principle #1 to The Art of Giving: Give Unconditionally
I had in fact, covered this point in my last post on a Random Act of Kindness. When you give from your heart, you are not hoping to receive anything in return. An act of kindness to a random stranger and made anonymously allows you the opportunity to do just that.
Likewise, when you give to those that you know, give with the gladness of your heart. You have intended in your higher consciousness to be connected with them in this life somehow. Why then should you choose to strain your physical relationships with strife, jealousy and selfishness? Choose, instead, to give and nuture each other other’s hopes and dreams.
Principle #2 to The Art of Giving: Give What You Wish For
The suspicious sees everyone as highly suspect. The liar sees that there is no need to tell the truth. The miser believes that everyone is out to get his money. The fearful sleeps with a revolver under his pillow. The abandoned sees hopelessness in the face of Sprituality. They continue to perpectuate the energies of negativity. They attract for that which they are.
Whatever you are, so it is in your world. Your physical reality is a reflection of what goes on inside your mind. Your reality mirrors what your mind focuses on. If your mind is focused on abundance, it can be seen in the wealth you enjoy. If your mind is focused on lack, it can be seen in the scarcity in the environment that you live in. Depending on your thoughts, you can be in the universe of beauty, light and bliss or you can be buried way underground in sorrow, ugliness and pain. You draw towards you, experiences that match the same energy vibration of that which you sent out. This is in essence the Law of Attraction.
It goes to show that you need to give, what you wish for. For when you dwell in thoughts of love, trust and hope, you get these delivered back to you.
“Do you wish for kindness. Be kind.
Do you ask for truth. Be true.
What you give of yourself you find
Your world is a reflex of you.”
—- The Science of Getting Rich
A word of reminder though. The second principle should be read closely with the first principle. While it is reasonable to expect what you hope to receive, do not get attached to the outcome. Sometimes, what you receive may come in a different physical form. At other times, you may not receive what you give out in the same proportion. It may well be that the Universe/God has something else in store for you. Do not question. But believe that good begets good.
“Life begets life. Energy becomes energy. It is by spending oneself that one becomes rich.”
— Sarah Bernhardt
Here’s an Asian story with an important lesson to learn.
Once there was a young couple who lived with the husband’s father. The old man was frail, with weak legs. As a result, the young couple found him troublesome, having to tend to his every need. They were also constantly annoyed by the old man’s complaints.
Finally, the couple plotted to get rid of him. The man put his father in a large basket which he slung over his shoulder. As he was about the leave the house, the man’s son, who was a young boy, asked “Father, where are you taking grandfather?”
The man hestitated for a moment and decided to reveal the truth. He told his son that he was going to bring grandfather out into the forest and leave him there. The boy watched his father silently, who was preparing to leave the house.
Just as his father was walking away, he shouted to the father “Father, don’t forget to bring back the basket!” His father was surprised and turned his head to ask his son why.
His son replied “Such a large basket is not easy to find. I’ll need the basket to carry you when you are old yourself.” With this reply, the father decided not to kick the old man out and resolved to take good care of his own father.
Principle #3 to the Art of Giving: Give Thanks For What You Have
The Art of Giving also encompasses an expresssion of thanks. To your family and friends, Giving is in the form of a gift, service or words of encouragement or inspiration. To the Universe/God, giving is saying words of gratitude for what you have been blessed. Just like how you would thank a friend with a gift or a word, it is important to honor your blessings on a spiritual basis.
“Gratefulness is the key to a happy life that we hold in our hands, because if we are not grateful, then no matter how much we have we will not be happy — because we will always want to have something else or something more.” Brother David Steindl-Rast
An appreciation of thanks should be made on a regular basis and not just during Thanksgiving Day. There are untold benefits with just saying thanks. When you cultivate a sense of gratitude, your mind is saying “yes” to the positive experiences that occur in your life. The Universe/God responds by giving more of that to you.
Here is a simple analogy. Say if a friend buys you a gift. If you like the gift, you say “thanks for the gift.” Your friend feels happy. He is incentivised to buy you another one, because he connects with the joy that he is experiencing in his heart. On the other hand, if you do not like the gift and worse, do not show your sense of appreciation, he is not likely to be motivated to give you anything again. It is the same with the Universe. It gives you more and more of the positive outcomes that you show appreciation for.
It is a good idea to give thanks in the form of a prayer. See the fullness of what life is like for you at this stage. Do not focus on the gaps that you see. Instead, just be grateful for what you have. A mind that is creative will see the beauty in everything that is about: the soft glow of the sun peaking through the dark clouds, the yellow flower that blooms in the lonely sidewalk and the crisp rain that cleanses the dirty streets.
Say it in all sincerity and with joy in your heart. Here’s a Thanksgiving prayer by a well known writer, to end this post….
For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food,
For love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)
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